ST. PAUL, Minn. – The College of Saint Benedict softball team went into Tuesday's regular-season finale at St. Kate's knowing it needed to sweep the Wildcats in order to earn the No. 2 seed in the MIAC Tournament and avoid a play-in game Thursday.
 
Behind some big bats in Game 1, a three-run homer from Sara Wennerstrand in Game 2 and a pair of wins on the mound from Ally Hjort – as well as a big save from Alex Smith in Game 2 – CSB pulled through. Saint Benedict ends the regular season 32-6 overall and 19-3 in the MIAC after beating the Wildcats 7-1 and 3-2 in St. Paul.
 
The wins not only secured the second seed in the postseason tournament for CSB, it also breaks the school record for wins in a season. The previous record of 31 was set in 1993, and this marks just the second time CSB has reached 30 or more wins in a season. The team's second-place MIAC finish is its best since 2004.
 
Saint Benedict plays its first game of the 2018 MIAC Tournament at 5 p.m. Friday, May 4, on the St. Thomas campus in St. Paul. CSB plays the highest seed remaining after Thursday's play-in games. No. 6 Carleton takes on No. 3 St. Kate's in one play-in, and No. 5 St. Olaf takes on No. 4 Augsburg in the other.
 
The first game was tight early, but two big innings late in the game helped CSB pull away. Saint Benedict took a 2-0 lead in the top of the third thanks to a two-run single from Sara Wennerstrand, but the Wildcats (24-13, 17-5) made it a one-run game in the bottom of the inning on an RBI single.
 
CSB broke open the game in the fifth on RBI singles from Wennerstrand and Hjort, and added two more runs for good measure in the seventh on a RBI doubles from Kendra Swanson and Wennerstrand. After the third inning, Hjort allowed just three more Wildcat baserunners on a single, a walk and a hit by pitch.
 
Saint Benedict finished Game 1 with 12 hits. Wennerstrand went 3-for-4 with four RBIs and Emilie Antony had three hits for CSB. Megan Toninato and Hjort both added a pair of hits. Hjort threw all seven innings and gave up a single run on four hits.
 
Game 2 was close the entire way, but clutch pitching and another big hit from Wennerstrand proved to be the difference. St. Kate's had eight hits to CSB's three in the second game, and strung several hits together in the third to take a 2-0 lead. CSB took the lead for good in the fourth when Kate Deming doubled, Swanson was hit by a pitch and Wennerstrand hit a three-run home run to make it 3-2.
 
The Wildcats had a single and a double to put runners on second and third with no outs in the fourth, but Smith came in and recorded three straight outs, then allowed just three base runners the rest of the game to allow CSB to hold on for the win.
 
Deming, Swanson and Wennerstrand all had a hit for CSB in Game 2, and Wennerstrand had three RBIs. Hjort picked up the win after throwing the first three innings, but Smith earned her third save of the season after giving up a single hit in the final four innings of work. Hjort gave up two runs on seven hits.
 
Hjort's win marked her 12^th of the season – the most for any CSB pitcher since 2014. Smith's three saves is the most for a CSB pitcher since at least 2012.
 
This marks the second straight appearance in the MIAC postseason tournament for CSB. Saint Benedict earned the No. 4 seed in the 2017 tournament and went 0-2.