ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – After nearly a month-long hiatus, the College of Saint Benedict softball team is finally scheduled to take the field again.
 
Saint Benedict – which last played on March 9 in Tucson, Ariz. – opens its MIAC schedule Saturday, April 7, against St. Thomas in a key MIAC matchup that was moved indoors due to cold, snowy conditions and the amount of snow and ice still on the ground. The doubleheader is now scheduled to start at 10:30 a.m. at the Providence Academy Dome in Plymouth.
 
About the Tommies
St. Thomas is 11-5 overall, 1-1 in the MIAC and ranked 14^th in Division III. UST saw its seven-game winning streak come to an end Thursday night in a conference split with Bethel. Junior Chase Shortly leads the MIAC with a .488 batting average. She leads the team with 21 hits and is second with 16 RBIs. Jenna Beeso also has 21 hits and a team-high eight doubles and 19 RBIs. On the mound, Hayley Dunning leads the team and the MIAC with nine wins, and she is fifth with 34 strikeouts. She leads the Tommies with a 3.11 ERA after giving up 38 runs – 28 earned – in 63 innings pitched.
 
Last Year
St. Thomas beat CSB three times last season, including a 3-2 win in the first round of the MIAC Tournament. Saint Benedict led 2-0 after three winnings thanks to an RBI single from Emilie Antony and a run scoring when Sara Wennerstrand hit into a double play. The Tommies tied the game in the fourth, however, and scored the winning run in the bottom of the seventh inning. UST swept the regular-season double header by scores of 8-4 and 5-0.
 
Who to Watch
Megan Toninato had the hot bat for CSB in Arizona, and she leads the team and is second in the MIAC with a .482 batting average. She has 27 hits – including three triples – and 10 RBIs. Kate Deming has 24 hits and a team-high 19 RBIs, and Emily Antony leads the team with six doubles. Toninato also has 101 putouts at first base to date. On the mound, first year Ally Hjort has a league-best 1.15 ERA and is fourth in the MIAC with 36 strikeouts. In 36.2 innings pitched, she has given up just six earned runs and is 4-1. Sophomore Jocelyn Metz is 4-0 and senior Kiela DeVlaeminck also has three wins, 15 strikeouts and a 2.00 ERA.
 
The Storyline
After a month of scrimmaging itself and practicing indoors, CSB is eager to get the MIAC season under way and play its first game since March 9. The team looks to get the conference season off to a hot start, and wins over St. Thomas – which is ranked just above No. 19 Saint Benedict – would go a long way in conference and regional standings. CSB heads into the weekend indoor series 13-3 overall and coming off a pair of five-inning wins on its last day in Arizona.