ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – The College of Saint Benedict softball team dropped a pair of close games to Bethel Sunday afternoon. The Royals came away with a MIAC sweep after defeating the Blazers 5-4 in eight innings in the first game and 3-0 in the second.
Saint Benedict is now 18-12 overall and in sixth in the MIAC with a 6-6 record. The Blazers have three home doubleheaders and five total doubleheaders remaining in the 2016 regular season.
In the first game, CSB took a 1-0 lead in the first inning when
Megan Toninato tripled and scored on an RBI single by
Nicole Nelson. Bethel (12-14, 7-5) scored a pair of runs in the second, but the Blazers took the lead back in the fourth on RBI singles from
Becky Gigstad and
Kate Deming and an RBI double from
Samantha Sakihara.
Caroline Kivisto tied the game with two outs in the top of the seventh on a solo home run – her sixth of the season – and CSB failed to score in the bottom of the inning, so the game went to extras. The Royals got a leadoff single in the top of the eighth, and that batter came around to score on a Bethel double and a CSB error, and the Royals' defense gave up one walk but didn't allow CSB to advance past first in the bottom of the inning.
The Blazers had 11 hits to Bethel's seven in the first game. Toninato finished with a pair of hits and Gigstad and Sakihara both had two hits and an RBI.
Cassie Meyer threw the first 7.1 innings and took the loss after giving up five runs on seven hits with four strikeouts.
Claire Haddick threw the final two-thirds of an inning.
The Royals scored first in game two, going up 2-0 thanks to a two-run double in the top of the second inning. Bethel added another run in the fourth on a solo homer, and held that lead heading into the bottom of the seventh inning.
Bethel got the first two outs of the inning right away, but
Courtney Wissbaum reached on an error, then Deming and Toninato both singled to load the bases.
Sara Wennerstrand grounded into a fielder's choice to end the threat, and the game.
Toninato had three of the Blazers' six hits in the second game, including a double. Haddick threw all seven innings and took the loss after giving up three runs on 10 hits.
CSB is back in action and back at home Wednesday, April 20, when it hosts Hamline at 3:30 p.m.
