MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – A pair of stellar pitching performances and another offensive outburst helped the College of Saint Benedict softball team to a MIAC sweep of Augsburg Wednesday afternoon.
 
Elly Novak threw her second career – and second straight – five inning no-hitter and Lauren York threw her first complete-game shutout as the Bennies beat the Auggies 15-0 in five innings and 10-0 in six innings to improve to 19-5 overall and 11-3 in the MIAC. Augsburg is 4-22 overall and 1-13 in the MIAC.
 
After throwing the first no-hitter of her collegiate career on Sunday, Novak did it again Wednesday in Minneapolis. Novak walked four and struck out nine batters in the five-inning win. Her nine strikeouts Wednesday brings her to within two strikeouts of tying the school record for strikeouts in a season. The current record is 129, set in 2007 by Monica Eiden.
 
CSB's offense helped Novak's cause at the plate, scoring 15 runs on 15 hits. A sac fly from Jordyn Swoboda in the first inning proved to be all the runs the team would need. CSB added four runs in the second inning on a pair of RBI singles and a two-run single from Swoboda, and three runs in the third on two more RBI singles and an RBI double from Hannah Sundem.
 
The Bennies added four more runs in the fourth and two in the fifth, including a two-run single from Lizzy Walker.
 
Bryn Carlstrom finished the game 3-for-3 with two RBIs and Gabby Spencer went 2-for-2 with two RBIs for CSB. Lexi Hanson, Tori Harren, Sundem, Megan Rasmussen and Mo Burns all doubled.
 
After Novak's impressive performance in Game 1, York was just as impressive in Game 2. She gave up just two hits and tied her career-high with seven strikeouts against the Auggies. The first came from Augsburg's first hitter in her first at-bat of them game, and the second hit came in the bottom of the sixth inning in the Auggies' last at-bat.
 
Saint Benedict's offense was equally as impressive, finishing with 13 hits. Swoboda started the game with a solo homer to center field, and the Bennies added four runs in the second thanks to a two-run homer from Rasmussen and a two-run single from Katie Carlson. Sundem had an RBI triple in the third, and Swoboda added an RBI single to her daily resume in the fourth.
 
The Bennies ended things early in the sixth when Hanson sent in a run on an RBI double, and she came around to score on a wild pitch. Harren walked and also came around to score on a wild pitch to wrap up scoring.
 
Swoboda went 2-for-3 with two RBIs and Hanson was 2-for-4. Hanson and Carlstrom both doubled for the Bennies.
 
CSB is back in action and back at home Saturday, April 24, when it hosts St. Kate's at 1 p.m.