ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – Saturday was an exciting day from start to finish for the College of Saint Benedict softball team.
 
The Bennies' sweep of St. Kate's started with a grand slam from Tori Harren and ended with a walk-off RBI single from Mo Burns. Somewhere in the middle, sophomore pitcher Elly Novak broke – and then kept improving – the school record for strikeouts in a season. When all was said and done, CSB beat the Wildcats 14-0 and 8-0 in a pair of five-inning games at the OAC.
 
Saint Benedict is now 21-5 overall and in third in the MIAC with an 11-3 mark. This marks the eighth time in head coach Rachael Click's nine seasons the Bennies have won 20 or more games. The only time they didn't reach the milestone is 2020 when the season was cut short due to the COVID19 pandemic. The losses marked just the second and third conference losses of the season for the Wildcats, who are 16-8 overall and 11-3 in the league.
 
CSB wasted no time taking control of the first game Saturday. A single, a walk, an RBI single and a hit-by-pitch loaded the bases, and first year Tori Harren sent all three runs in with a grand slam over the right-center fence to put the Bennies up 6-0 in the first inning. Saint Benedict led 6-0 after one inning, added a seventh run on a solo homer from Jordyn Swoboda in the second and made it 8-0 thanks to a two-run double from Swoboda, an RBI double from Lexi Hanson and an RBI single by Bryn Carlstrom.
 
Burns had an RBI triple and Sheridan Glashan came in to pinch hit and hit an RBI double in the fourth before the game ended early.
 
The Bennies finished the first game with 17 hits, including eight doubles, a triple and two home runs in the first game. Swoboda and Megan Rasmussen both went 3-for-3 and Harren and Swoboda both had four RBIs. Elly Novak threw the first three innings to earn the win. She gave up a pair of hits and struck out two batters. Ally Hjort threw two innings in relief and also gave up two hits with two strikeouts.
 
Novak made history in the second game of the day. Her two strikeouts in Game 1 left her tied for the school record for strikeouts in a season with 129, and she left no doubt about the record in game two. In the first inning, Novak came in and struck out the first three batters she faced to break the record – and then keep going. The previous record for strikeouts in a season was 129, set in 2007 by Monica Eiden. After striking out six batters in the second game, Novak's new record is 135 strikeouts in a season – and counting.
 
Runs didn't come in such large bunches for CSB in the second game, but they came often enough to end the game early. After a scoreless first, Glashan sent in a run on an RBI double to make it 1-0. Harren and Glashan both had RBI singles in the fourth, and the Bennies broke the game open in the fifth.
 
Hanson had an RBI single, Carlstrom reached on an error and sent in a run, Ella Eibensteiner and Rasmusen both sent in runs on RBI singles and Burns hit a walk-off RBI single to left center to end the game early.
 
Glashan finished 2-for-2 with a pair of RBIs to pace CSB, which had 10 hits in the second game. Novak gave up a pair of hits to pick up the shutout win – her 14^th win of the season. She is now two wins away from the record for wins in a season at 16.
 
CSB hits the road Sunday, April 25, when it heads to St. Paul for a 1 p.m. doubleheader at Macalester. Per Macalester policy no fans are allowed, but live stats and video are available.