ST. PAUL, Minn. – One day after splitting with Macalester, the College of Saint Benedict softball team went on the road and picked up a statement win Wednesday afternoon, splitting a MIAC doubleheader with sixth-ranked St. Thomas.
CSB scored a trio of early runs in the first game to pick up a 3-1 win over sixth-ranked St. Thomas, and a late rally fell short in the second game as the Tommies held on for a 5-4 win to seal the split.
In the first game of the day, with her first hit of the game, senior center fielder
Kate Deming became CSB's all-time career hits leader. She entered the game with 196 career hits, which tied for the school record set in 2005 by Michelle Boys and later tied by
Megan Toninato in 2018. She singled in her first at-bat of the game to record her 197
th hit in her three-plus seasons with the program.
Deming didn't make it around in the first inning, and the Tommies took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the inning on an RBI triple. But Sheriden Glashan reached on an error in the second inning and
Lauren Scheneman – pinch running for Glashan – came around to score on an RBI triple by
Jordyn Swoboda.
CSB took a lead it never gave up in the top of the third when Deming singled again – the 198
th hit of her career – and came around to score on an RBI double by
Kendra Swanson. Swanson later scored on an RBI single from Swoboda to put Saint Benedict up 3-1.
Ally Hjort later singled after Swoboda, and that was the last runner CSB got on base until the top of the seventh when Deming singled a third time.
After the first inning, the Tommies (15-3, 3-1) got just two runners on until the seventh inning. UST's leadoff runner singled and the next reached on a CSB error, the Tommies hit into a pair of fielder's choices and a groundout to second and CSB held on for the win.
Deming finished 3-for-4 and Swoboda had two hits and two RBIs for CSB, which had seven total hits. Hjort picked up her seventh win of the season on the mound after giving up a single run and scattering five hits over seven innings of work. She struck out three batters.
In the second game of the day it took three innings before CSB got more than one runner on base. The Tommies stranded two runners in the first, and scored a pair of runs in the third on a solo home run and an RBI single. CSB tied the game in the fourth thanks to a Tommie error, an RBI double from Swoboda and an RBI single from
Madison Mikolich to make it 2-2.
The Tommies took the lead back in the fourth on a CSB error and an RBI triple, and scored all the runs they would need in the top of the sixth on a hit by pitch, an RBI double and an RBI groundout.
Saint Benedict mounted a comeback in the seventh when Deming walked and, with two outs, Glashan singled. Both came around to score on an RBI double from Swoboda, and
Lauren York walked to put two runners on, but the Tommies got a groundout to end the game.
Swoboda added two hits and three RBIs to her daily total to finish 4-for-7 with five RBIs. Glashan added two hits and
Emilie Antony had a pair of CSB's 10 hits.
Grace Gilmore threw the first 3.2 innings and took the loss after giving up a trio of runs – two earned – on seven hits with three strikeouts. York threw the final 2.1 innings and gave up two runs on two hits.
CSB is now 15-6 overall and 3-2 in the MIAC. The team continues its busy week Saturday, April 6, when it hosts Gustavus at 1 p.m. Saint Benedict travels to Hamline at 1 p.m. Sunday for a fourth MIAC doubleheader this week.
