ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – When the College of Saint Benedict softball team found itself in a pitcher's duel with Concordia when the two teams met in April, the Bennies found a way to win thanks to a Cobber error and a
Jordyn Swoboda home run.
When the two teams got into a pitcher's duel Thursday afternoon, it was the sixth-seeded Cobbers who found a way to win.
Elly Novak struck out 12 batters for third-seeded Saint Benedict but the Cobbers strung together a trio of hits in the seventh and the Bennies' MIAC Tournament run ended with a 2-0 loss in one of two MIAC Tournament play-in games. CSB is now 26-7 overall and will sit out the four-team 2021 conference tournament. The Bennies find out Monday at noon if they were selected for one of four at-large bids to an NCAA Regional during the online selection show.
The Cobbers move on to face top-seeded St. Olaf at 2:30 p.m. Friday in Northfield in the MIAC Tournament. Fourth-seeded St. Thomas beat No. 5 St. Kate's 5-1 in the second play-in game, and the Tommies take on second-seeded Bethel at 5 p.m. Friday. The winner of the tournament earns the league's at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Thursday's game was scoreless through six innings, and the Bennies didn't get many early chances to score.
Tori Harren doubled with two outs in the second and stole third, but was stranded by a pop out. The Cobbers stranded one in the third on a bunt single, and loaded the bases in the fourth thanks to two hits and a Bennie error, but a pop up ended the inning.
Lexi Hanson was hit by a pitch to start the fifth inning, and
Lizzy Walker was put in as a base runner and stole second, but she was thrown out at third to end the threat. Concordia hit a two-out double in the top of the sixth and threatened to score with a long, tall shot to left field, but Swoboda tracked the ball and snagged it at the fence to end the inning.
The Cobbers (22-19) recorded three of their seven hits in the top of the seventh, and those three hits scored a pair of runs that were enough to win them the game. Concordia started the inning with a single, and a sac bunt advanced the runner to second. A strikeout gave the Bennies two outs, but Concordia sent in a run on an RBI double to center, and followed that up with an RBI single to left-center before a pop up ended the inning.
Bryn Carlstrom had a bloop single to short center to start the bottom of the seventh.
Mo Burns reached on a fielder's choice, and advanced on a passed ball. Swoboda walked and both runners advanced on another passed ball, but a strikeout and a pop up ended the game.
Novak struck out 12 batters to bring her season total to 172 strikeouts. She gave up seven hits and a pair of earned runs in seven innings. Harren's double and Carlstrom's bloop single were CSB's only two hits of the night.
Concordia pitcher Megan Gavin struck out seven and gave up a pair of hits to help her team earn its first MIAC Tournament win in program history.
