ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – After a spring that was full of postponements and unexpected days off, the end of the regular season has been a marathon for the College of Saint Benedict softball team, and this week CSB wraps up with a sprint to the finish.
CSB – which clinched a spot in the six-team MIAC Tournament Saturday after sweeping St. Olaf – plays a pair of MIAC doubleheaders Monday and Tuesday. The team is at Saint Mary's Monday, and Tuesday heads to St. Paul to take on St. Kate's in what could be a fight for the No. 2 seed in the league's tournament. Monday's game starts at 3:30 p.m. in Winona, and Tuesday starts at 3:30 p.m.
About the Cardinals
Saint Mary's is 14-24 overall and 7-13 in the MIAC heading into its final games of the season. The Cardinals napped a three-game losing streak Sunday with a 9-8 win at Bethel, but dropped the nightcap. Saint Mary's has played some close games this season, and picked up a one-run win at UW-Eau Claire, split with Augsburg and picked up a huge sweep of St. Olaf early in the season. Brittany Birkhauser leads the team with a .363 batting average, 45 hits and 23 RBIs. On the mound, Amber Chow has a 3.03 ERA and 49 strikeouts in 131.2 innings.
About the Wildcats
After a slow start to the season, St. Kate's has come on strong in April. The Wildcats are 24-11 overall and in second in the MIAC at 17-3. SCU has won 16 of its last 18 games, including a split with No. 14 St. Thomas on Saturday. St. Kate's shut out Hamline twice and also swept ST. Olaf last week, including a six-inning, 10-1 win in Game 1. Kylie Macziewski is fifth in the MIAC with a .417 batting average, and Jenna George is second with six home runs – four last week alone. On the mound, Krista Flugstad leads the team with a 2.65 ERA, 14 wins and is third in the MIAC with 90 strikeouts.
The Storyline
CSB has already wrapped up a spot in the six-team MIAC tournament, now it's just waiting to see what seed it gets. The No. 1 and 2 seeds get a bye Thursday when the No. 3-6 seeds compete in play-in games to see who makes the four-team, double-elimination tournament that starts Friday, May 4. Saint Mary's – which is out of playoff contention – looks to end its season with some wins, while the Wildcats and CSB will likely be in a battle for the second seed Tuesday.
Who to Watch
Ally Hjort continues to impress on the mound. She had three wins in three appearances last week, and finished the week with an ERA of 1.17. She continues to lead the MIAC with an overall ERA of 0.76, and is sixth with 78 strikeouts. Senior
Megan Toninato led CSB at the plate again, and is second in the MIAC with a .448 batting average and leads the league with 52 hits. Senior catcher
Karlee Pfaff had a big game against Macalester as she went 4-for-6 with seven RBIs.
