MIAC Championship Site

ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – On Tuesday, the College of Saint Benedict softball team swept St. Kate's to earn the No. 2 seed in the MIAC Tournament.
 
Friday afternoon, CSB looks to beat the Wildcats for a third time in the last four days.
 
St. Kate's earned its spot in the four-team, double-elimination tournament after a 1-0 win against Carleton in Thursday's play-in game. Saint Benedict and the Wildcats meet at 5 p.m. Friday, May 4, in the second game of the tournament, which will be played at St. Thomas. The Tommies host St. Olaf in the first game of the tournament, which is scheduled for 2:30 p.m.
 
Tuesday's games are both fresh in everyone's minds heading into Friday, and the two games couldn't have been more different. In Game 1, CSB exploded for 12 hits and scored seven runs to beat the Wildcats 7-1. In the nightcap, the team managed just three hits – one just happened to be a three-run homer from Sara Wennerstrand, which proved enough to hold on for a 3-2 win.
 
Wennerstrand had a big day at the plate to help CSB, finishing 4-for-7 with seven RBIs. She had a two-run single, an RBI single and an RBI double in the first game to help Saint Benedict to the win. Ally Hjort and Kendra Swanson also sent in runs.
 
Hjort picked up both wins on the mound Tuesday. She gave up just four hits in the first game, and gave up two runs on seven hits in Game 2 but held onto the win thanks to a huge save from Alex Smith. Smith shut down the Wildcats, allowing a single hit with five strikeouts in the final four innings. Hjort's ERA of 0.91 is eighth in Division III. Past successes – like the team's sweep on Tuesday – will be key to put together a run in the MIAC Tournament.
 
"To be successful this weekend and beyond, our team needs to build off past successes," Wennerstrand said. "We have done an excellent job of controlling what we can control and being resilient in the face of adversity. Maintaining and optimistic outlook and continuing to exude confidence whether we are behind or ahead will help us be successful."
 
St. Kate's – which made it all the way to the NCAA Tournament final site in Oklahoma last year – looks to make another run through the tournament this season. The Wildcats avoided disappointment in the play-in game thanks to solid pitching from senior Krista Flugstad and a solo homer from Amber Montero to defeat the Knights.
 
Kylie Macziewski and Jenna George lead the team in batting average, hits and RBIs, and Macziewski has five home runs and George has six. Flugstad has been the team's ace all season – and pitched most of both games on Tuesday – and comes into the game with a 2.41 ERA and 98 strikeouts in 148.1 innings pitched.
 
The winner of Friday's game moves on to play the winner of the UST/St. Olaf game at 11 a.m. Saturday, while the loser plays the loser of that same game at 1:30 p.m. The championship game is scheduled for 11 a.m. Sunday, with a 1 p.m. game if necessary.
 
"In order to be successful in the MIAC Tournament, keeping our confidence will be key," head coach Rachael Click said. "The stats speak for themselves. This group belongs here – they just have to show up and prove it."