ARDEN HILLS, Minn. – The College of Saint Benedict softball team snapped Bethel's 23-game winning streak and handed the Royals their first MIAC loss of the season Tuesday afternoon.
The Bennies won Game 1 2-1 thanks to a suicide squeeze from
Megan Rasmussen before falling 7-1 in the second game. With a week left in the regular season, CSB is now 23-6 overall and 11-4 and in third in the MIAC. The Royal continue to hang onto the top spot in the league at 26-3 overall and 15-1 in the MIAC.
In the first game, Saint Benedict had just three hits – but that's all they needed. Two of those hits came in the fifth when
Addy Bowne singled and
Tori Harren laid down a bunt single to put runners on first and second.
Bree Griffin had a sac bunt to advance both to second and third, and they came around to score on a suicide squeeze back to the pitcher.
Bethel got one run back in the bottom of the inning thanks to a double and a Bennie error, but that's as close as they could get. The sixth inning was quiet for both teams, and Bethel had back-to-back singles with two outs in the bottom of the seventh, but a fly ball in foul territory to Rasmussen at third base ended the game.
Bowne had two of the team's three hits in the first game and Rasmussen had two RBIs.
Elly Novak picked up her 14
th win of the season on the mound after spreading six hits over seven innings of work. She struck out seven batters.
The Bennies scored first to start the second game when Rasmussen hit a home run over the left-field fence, but that's all the runs they managed. A three-run homer in the third would end up being all Bethel would need, but the Royals added four runs in the sixth after an RBI walk, a two-run single and an RBI single.
Lexi Hanson had two of the team's six hits – including a double. Novak took the loss, just her second of the season, after giving up seven runs on nine hits. She struck out two batters in five innings of work. Bowne threw the final inning and gave up a single hit.
CSB returns to action right away Wednesday, April 27, when it hosts St. Scholastica for a single seven-inning game starting at 5 p.m. at the OAC.