LEESBURG, Fla. – The College of Saint Benedict softball team pushed its win streak to six games with two more wins Saturday, including a 4-3 upset of No. 21 Manhattanville.
Saint Benedict started the day with a 9-0, five-inning win against New England College. CSB is 9-1 in Florida and 10-2 overall in 2017.
None of CSB's runs were earned against Manhattanville, which went 41-5 last season and reached the NCAA Super Regional, but is 1-4 so far in 2017. The Valiants scored first on an RBI single in the top of the second inning, but CSB tied the game in the bottom of the inning when
Sara Wennerstrand singled, advanced when
Olivia Olson reached on an error by the shortstop and scored on an RBI single by
Claire Boatman.
Manhattanville took a 2-1 lead in the third when it scored on an RBI double, and that lead held until the bottom of the fourth when CSB took advantage of two hits and three Valiant errors to score three runs. Olson singled, advanced on a hit by Boatman and scored when Hailey Mnoroe reached on an error.
Kate Deming reached on a fielder's choice and Boatman reached third on an error, and she came around to score thanks to an RBI groundout by
Megan Toninato.
Emilie Antony reached on a fielder's choice, but Monroe came around to score on an error by the Manhattanville third baseman.
The Valiants scored one run in the top of the on a CSB error and got runners to first and second, but the lead runner was thrown out at third by Deming to end the game and give Saint Benedict the win.
Boatman went 2-for-3 with an RBI to lead CSB, which strung together six hits in the win.
Kiela DeVlaeminck threw all seven innings and struck out seven batters to earn the win – her fourth of the season. She gave up three runs – two earned – on 11 hits.
CSB's first game of the day was close to start, but broke open in the fifth inning. Saint Benedict took a 3-0 lead after one inning thanks to an RBI sac fly by Wennerstrand and RBI singles from
Karlee Pfaff and Boatman, and made it 4-0 in the second on an RBI groundout from Toninato.
The game stayed 4-0 until the top of the fifth when CSB used five hits, a hit by pitch and an error to score five runs and end the game early. Deming had a two-run double and
Kendra Swanson sent in a run when she reached on an error.
Deming went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and Pfaff also had two hits for CSB, which finished with 11 hits.
Alex Smith threw the first four innings to earn the win. She gave up three hits and struck out one batter.
Cassie Meyer struck out one batter in the final inning.
Saint Benedict wraps up its trip Sunday, March 12, when it takes on Western Connecticut and Salve Regina in Clermont.
