Women's Softball | 03/31/2021
ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – After four home doubleheaders, the College of Saint Benedict will play somewhere other than its home field for the first time in 2021 this weekend.
The Bennies kick off the MIAC season with a road game against Concordia Saturday, April 3, starting at 1 p.m. in Moorhead, Minn. Per Concordia's campus policies, fans are allowed at the softball field – masked and socially distant. All fans are asked to abide by Concordia's COVID policies.
Live
video and
stats will also be available.
About the Cobbers
The Cobbers are 12-6 overall and riding a four-game winning streak into Saturday's MIAC opener after sweeping Morris and North Central. Concordia has won eight of its last nine games, including a 19-10 win over Division II Moorhead on March 25. Pitcher Megan Gavin leads the MIAC with 98 strikeouts, and threw a five-inning perfect game with 15 strikeouts last weekend against North Central. She owns a 1.11 ERA. At the plate, Riley Irmen leads the team with a .358 average and 19 hits, and Valerie Kolstad has a team-high 14 RBIs thanks to two home runs.
Last Meeting
Saint Benedict swept the Cobbers in 2019, winning 5-0 and 13-0 on April 22 in Moorhead.
Mo Burns had a hit and two RBIs in the 5-0 win, and the Bennies racked up 16 hits in the second game.
Grace Gilmore gave up two hits in six innings in the 13-0 win and
Ally Hjort threw a five-hit shutout with six strikeouts in the 5-0 win.
The Storyline
CSB picked up some big regional wins in its four nonconference doubleheaders, but now the team is ready to get down to business as it gets into MIAC play. The top six teams make the MIAC Tournament this season, and the Bennies look to be one of those teams in the tournament to try and earn the team's third bid to the NCAA Tournament in the last four years at the end of the season.
Who to Watch
CSB's pitching staff has been impressive on the mound this season.
Elly Novak is second in the MIAC with 54 strikeouts and
Ally Hjort is fifth with 26, and both are in the top four in the MIAC with ERAs of 1.79 or better.
Katie Carlson and
Gabby Spencer have a combined eight home runs, and Carlson is second in the NCAA with five home runs. As a team, CSB is eighth in Division III with 12 homers.
