Carleton Live Stats/Video | Carleton Game Notes | Gustavus Live Video | Gustavus Game Notes

ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – After a road sweep of Concordia to start the MIAC season on April 3, the College of Saint Benedict softball team hits the road for two more conference doubleheaders this weekend.
 
The Bennies start the weekend with a 1 p.m. doubleheader Saturday, April 10 against Carleton in Northfield, then wraps up the weekend in St. Peter Sunday with another 1 p.m. doubleheader, this one against Gustavus.
 
Per Carleton and Gustavus campus policies, no fans are allowed at either contest. Live stats and video are available here Saturday at Carleton, and live video is available here Sunday against the Gusties.
 
About the Knights
Saturday's doubleheader marks the season opener for Carleton. The Knights were slated to take on Concordia Wednesday, but that game got postponed due to weather. The Knights finished 3-1 in the shortened 2020 season, including a sweep of Martin Luther. Faith Hanshaw batted 700 with seven hits and seven RBIs in four games played as a first year in 2020 and Laurie Avila batted .583. Hanshaw also went 1-0 on the mound in two appearances with four strikeouts and a 0.00 ERA in six innings pitched.
 
About the Gusties
Heading into the weekend, Gustavus – which is scheduled to take on Bethel Saturday – was 7-3 overall and 2-0 in the MIAC after a sweep of Augsburg. The Gusties were on a three-game winning streak and had won five of their last six games. Sierra Meyer leads Gustavus with a .600 batting average and Madelyn Mueller has a team-high four RBIs thanks to 10 hits, including two doubles and a triple. On the mound, Ashley Neuenfeldt has thrown a team-high 32 innings and has 15 strikeouts and a 2.41 ERA.
 
Last Meeting
CSB swept the Knights in 2019, winning 9-1 and 10-0 on April 20 in Northfield. Ally Hjort gave up three hits and a single unearned run in the 9-1 win, and she and Grace Gilmore split time on the mound and didn't allow a single run with six strikeouts in the second game. Mo Burns finished 2-for-4 with a double and three RBIs.
 
The Bennies swept the Gusties in a nonconference doubleheader earlier this season in St. Joseph. Katie Carlson had two doubles to lead the team to a 4-0 win in Game 1, and CSB had five total extra-base hits. Elly Novak struck out nine and gave up just three hits. In Game 2, CSB had 15 hits in an 11-0 win. Ally Hjort struck out five in the five-inning one-hitter.
 
The Storyline
CSB moved up to 19^th in the latest NFCA Division III Coach's Poll, and the team looks to improve on its record over the weekend to boost its resume and help its cause to move up even further next week. The Bennies had a big day at the plate in Game 2 of the team's MIAC opener at Concordia, and CSB looks to find its offensive stride early in both games to take control early against Carleton and Gustavus.
 
Who to Watch
Head coach Rachael Click is one win away from the 200-win milestone heading into the weekend. In her ninth season with the program, Click is 199-114 overall in her head coaching career, which started at Saint Benedict in 2013.
 
Elly Novak was mentioned for the second time this season in the NFCA's Other Top Performances section of its national player of the week release. Saturday at Concordia, Novak threw a one-hit shutout and struck out 12 to help the Bennies hold on for a 2-0 win in Game 1 against the Cobbers.