ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – Ally Hjort had another big day on the mound Tuesday afternoon, but she also helped herself out at the plate.
 
Hjort picked up two more wins for the College of Saint Benedict softball team, and she lifted the team to a nine-inning win over Hamline in Game 2 with a walkoff RBI single. CSB beat the Pipers 2-1 and 5-4 to improve its record to 24-6 overall and 11-3 in the MIAC.
 
Game 2 was tied 4-4 through seven innings, and the Pipers got runers on first and third after a pair of singles, but Hjort got a strikeout and a groundout to end the threat. CSB landed runners on first and second in the bottom of the inning, but was unable to capitalize. The Pipers went down in order to start the ninth, then, with two outs, Sara Wennerstrand tripled and Hjort came to the plate and recorded a walkoff RBI single – the second hit of her collegiate career.
 
The Pipers (13-13, 6-6) got scoring started in the second game with a pair of singles and a two-run double in the first. Saint Benedict got one run back in the third when Kate Deming doubled and scored on a triple from Megan Toninato, then took a 3-2 lead in the fifth on a two-run single from Kendra Swanson. Hamline took the lad in the sixth with a single followed by an RBI double, but Deming doubled then scored on an RBI single from Emilie Antony in the seventh to send the game to extra innings.
 
Deming finished 3-for-5 to lead CSB, which had 11 total hits, and Swanson had a pair of RBIs. Alex Smith threw the first 5.2 innings and gave up three runs on six hits with four strikeouts. Hjort gave up a single run on four hits with three strikeouts in the final 3.1 innings of work.
 
Game 1 was just as close, except it was CSB that took the lead first. Both teams had runners in scoring position in the early innings, but Saint Benedict finally got on the board in the fifth thanks to a Piper error, a walk and a two-run single from Swanson. Hamline got two singles to start the top of the seventh, and one run scored on an RBI groundout, and the Pipers added a third hit to place runners on second and third, but Hjort got the final groundout to end the game.
 
Antony and Wennerstrand both doubled and Swanson had two more RBIs to lead CSB, which had five hits. Hjort gave up a single run – the first earned run she had given up in MIAC play – and scattered six hits over seven innings of work. She struck out three batters.
 
Saint Benedict is back in action right away Wednesday, April 25, when it travels to St. Paul for a 4:30 p.m. doubleheader at Macalester.