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ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – The College of Saint Benedict softball team has the chance to move up the MIAC standings Thursday as it heads to Northfield for a MIAC doubleheader at St. Olaf.

Heading into the game, the Oles are one of two teams remaining in MIAC play as they are 8-0. The Bennies are right behind St. Olaf with an 8-1 conference mark. First pitch is scheduled for 3:30 p.m., and live stats and video are available.
 
About the Oles
St. Olaf brings a nine-game winning streak into Thursday's doubleheader dating back to their last day in Georgia on March 30. The Oles swept Augsburg Tuesday, winning 6-0 and 7-4 in Minneapolis. Shreya Ashok and Andrea Conway are both in the top 20 in the MIAC with batting averages of .366 and .353, respectively, and Ashok has a team-high 30 hits. On the mound, Jaelyn Orth is third with a 2.09 ERA in 53.2 innings pitched and Jenna Peschel has a 1.73 ERA in 24.1 innings pitched.
 
Last Meeting
CSB and St. Olaf split a pair of MIAC games last season in St. Joe. The Bennies won the first game 1-0 thanks to a single from Gabby Spencer and an Ole error in the fifth inning, but the Oles came back to win Game 2 5-2. Elly Novak struck out six and gave up just two hits to earn the win. St. Olaf hit a three-run homer in the second inning of Game 2 and that proved to be the difference. Megan Rasmussen had two hits and Tori Harren hit a solo home run.
 
The Storyline
The Bennies are off to their best start in program history at 20-3 and bring a four-game winning streak to Northfield. Both teams are coming in on streaks, and both look to stay at the top of the conference standings as the regular season winds down. After splitting with Augsburg a few weeks ago, CSB needs to pick up a sweep of at least one of the top MIAC teams if it wants to stay at the top of the league.
 
Who to Watch
Senior Lizzy Walker had a career day Tuesday against Macalester. She finished the game with a double, a two-run home run and a grand slam, and she sent in seven runs to help CSB sweep the Scots. That marked the second and third homers of her CSB career. Elly Novak stayed perfect on the mound and picked up win No. 12 on the season, and she also reached the 100-strikeout milestone for the second straight season.