ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – After eight games of hot bats and high offensive production, the College of Saint Benedict softball team faced a team whose pitchers had the Bennies' number.
CSB finished with eight hits and just one run in a pair of MIAC losses to Bethel Thursday afternoon in St. Joseph. The Royals won the first game 4-1 and the second game 6-0 at the OAC. The losses snapped the Bennies' eight-game winning streak and marked just the third and fourth losses of the season for CSB, which is now 14-4 overall and 6-2 in the MIAC.
The first game of the day was close throughout, but CSB couldn't string any of its five hits together to score runs. Bethel (14-4, 7-1) got on the board first with a two-run double in the fourth inning. The Bennies got one run back in the bottom of the inning when
Lexi Hanson singled and
Lizzy Walker – running for Hanson – stole second and third, and then came around to score on a throwing error by the Royals.
The Royals scored all the runs they would need in the sixth on an RBI single and a sac fly to center field.
Megan Rasmussen singled and
Lauren York doubled to put two runners on in the bottom of the seventh, but a trio of strikeouts ended the threat and the game.
Katie Carlson and York both doubled for CSB as five players had a single hit. Sophomore pitcher
Elly Novak picked up her first loss of the season on the mound after giving up four runs – three earned – on five hits. She struck out six batters and walked two. In 11 appearances, Novak has 95 strikeouts so far in 2021.
The second game was all Bethel thanks to a solid game in the circle from pitcher Kayla Simacek. The Bennies managed just a trio of hits – two from
Gabby Spencer – as Simacek racked up 12 strikeouts. Spencer led off the game with a triple, and added a single a few innings later, but only four Bennies reached base in the game.
Ally Hjort took the loss on the mound. She gave up six runs – four earned – on 10 hits with four strikeouts.
CSB is back at home and looking to get back on track Saturday, April 17, when it hosts St. Olaf in another big MIAC doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. The Oles are the only team that is still undefeated in conference play.
