NORTHFIELD, Minn. – For the second straight season, the College of Saint Benedict softball team is headed to the MIAC Tournament.
 
CSB swept St. Olaf Saturday in Northfield, winning 2-1 and 5-1. The win, coupled with a St. Kate's split against St. Thomas, leaves CSB in a tie for second in the MIAC with the Wildcats with 15-3 conference marks. The Tommies have clinched the MIAC regular-season title, and UST, CSB and St. Kate's have all secured a spot in the six-team postseason tournament.
 
Saturday's wins also pushed CSB's overall record this season to 28-6, which marks the most wins in a season since 2014 and tying head coach Rachael Click's best season win total from that same year when the team finished 28-11. Prior to 2014, Saint Benedict hadn't reached more than 20 wins since 2004 when it went 29-7.
 
The first game of the day went down to the wire, but CSB held on for the win. The Oles had one hit through the first three innings, but used three hits, including an RBI single, to take a 1-0 lead in the fourth. Saint Benedict – which left runners stranded at second three times and third once in the first four innings – took the lead in the top of the fifth on an RBI single from Megan Toninato and a wild pitch, and that would end the scoring for the game.
 
CSB didn't get a base runner on in the final two innings, and the Oles got a single and a walk to put runners on first and second with two outs in the bottom of the seventh, but the final batter hit a fly ball to center field to end the game.
 
Toninato had two hits to lead CSB, which finished the game with five hits. Ally Hjort picked up her 10^th win of the season after giving up five hits and striking out nine in seven innings of work. After giving up a single earned run, she maintains an overall ERA of 0.76.
 
Saint Benedict used a pair of home runs to take an early lead in the second game, and held on for its sixth straight win and third straight MIAC sweep. Alex Smith started the scoring with a solo homer – the first of her collegiate career – in the second, and Kendra Swanson hit a two-run homer in the third. Claire Boatman reached on an error and sent in a third run in the third to make it 4-0.
 
CSB scored once more in the fifth when Smith singled and scored on another Ole error. St. Olaf (21-15, 11-9) got on the board with a homer of its own in the bottom of the fifth, but that was the end of the scoring.
 
Toninato and Smith both had two hits for CSB, which had eight total hits. Cassie Meyer threw the first five innings and earned the win after giving up a single run on six hits with two strikeouts. Smith threw the final two innings and gave up a pair of hits.
 
CSB wraps up the regular season with MIAC doubleheaders Monday and Tuesday on the road. Saint Benedict takes on Saint Mary's Monday, April 30, in Winona, then heads to St. Paul Tuesday for a big MIAC doubleheader against the Wildcats.
 
The MIAC Tournament starts Thursday, May 3, with a pair of play-in games.