ST. PETER, Minn. – The College of Saint Benedict softball team's bats were on fire Sunday afternoon as the Bennies wrapped up the weekend with a sweep of Gustavus.
 
CSB pushed its current winning streak to eight games thanks to a 15-0, five-inning win in Game 1 and a 4-0 win in Game 2. Saint Benedict is now 14-2 overall and 6-0 in the MIAC. The Bennies and St. Olaf are the only two teams who are still perfect in MIAC play.
 
As hot as the team's bats were, the Bennies' pitching was just as good. Elly Novak and Ally Hjort combined to give up just three hits, five walks, no runs and struck out 16 batters in 12 innings of work.
 
Saint Benedict racked up 17 hits in the first game and 10 player had at least one hit for the team. A two-run single from Tori Harren and a two-run double by Mo Burns highlighted a six-run first inning. Harren added a two-run single two her resume and Caitlin Heinen had a two-run single as part of a seven-run fifth inning to end the game early.
 
Harren – who also had an RBI triple – finished the first game 3-for-3 with five RBIs. Lexi Hanson and Gabby Spencer each had two hits for the Bennies. Novak improved to 8-0 on the season and pushed her weekend strikeout total to 23 after adding nine more on Sunday afternoon. She gave up a single hit in five innings.
 
Hanson hit a two-run homer in the first inning of the second game and Spencer and Katie Carlson both had RBI doubles in the second inning to give CSB all the runs it would need in the 4-0 Game 2 win. Of the team's 10 second-game hits, four were doubles and one was a homer. Spencer, Jordyn Swoboda and Harren all had two hits, and Hanson led the team with two RBIs.
 
Hjort threw a two-hit shutout to improve her season record to 7-1. She struck out seven in seven innings of work.
 
CSB returns home for a pair of MIAC doubleheaders later this week. The team hosts Bethel starting at 3:30 p.m. Thursday, April 15, and then takes on St. Olaf starting at 1 p.m. Saturday, April 17, at the OAC.