MOORHEAD, Minn. – Shutout pitching combined with an explosive offense, including five hits from
Jordyn Swoboda, led the No. 21 College of Saint Benedict (23-5, 14-4 MIAC) to a sweep of a MIAC doubleheader with Concordia (5-26, 1-14 MIAC) on Friday (April 28). With the victory, CSB extended its winning streak to five games.
With the doubleheader sweep, the Bennies hold onto second place in the MIAC with a 14-4 record and have a 23-5 overall record. Next up for CSB will be a MIAC doubleheader against Saint Mary's on Sunday (April 30) at 1/3 p.m., in Winona, Minn.
The pair of shutouts today gives CSB a league-high 12 shutouts and three times in league play, Saint Benedict has had back-to-back shutouts in a doubleheader. In 10 road games, the Bennies have nine wins in 2023.
In the opener, first-year
Ellie Peterson, the reigning MIAC Player of the Week, picked up her 12
th win in 13 decisions as she lowered her earned run average to 1.84. Then, senior Ellie Novak earned her 11
th win and 47
th of her career with six shutout innings. With nine strikeouts, she increased her school record total to 433.
As a group, CSB pitchers, including relievers
Olivia Wallace and
Tiffany Thompson, had a 0.00 earned run average with just four hits allowed in 13 innings while recording 17 strikeouts against one walk. As a result, CSB's team earned run average dropped to 2.19 while the strikeouts jumped to 183 in 182 innings.
At the plate, Swoboda had one of her best games of the season and her career. The fifth-year outfielder had five hits in eight at bats for a .625 average. Swoboda, who increased her batting average to .360 and slugging mark to .640, now has a team-high six home runs and a team-best 26 RBI. In her career, she ranks second all-time with 22 home runs. With her five hits, she had 12 total bases while scoring four runs with three RBI. She homered twice and had a pair of doubles for an astronomical 1.500 slugging mark today. Also, for CSB,
Cat Smetana,
Bryn Carlstrom,
Tori Harren, and
Kallie Finkbeiner also had two hits as CSB had 16 runs on 19 hits for a .328 average. Finkbeiner hit second home run of the season in the game two win.
Game 1 – Saint Benedict 9 Concordia 0 (six innings)
Swoboda and Smetana had two hits and two RBI while Peterson and Wallace combined for a shutout in the Bennies' 9-0 win over Concordia in the opener.
Peterson threw five scoreless innings, allowing just two hits while striking out six. Wallace finished for CSB, tossing a scoreless inning with a strikeout.
Smetana and Swoboda led the CSB offense with two hits each. Swoboda hit a pair of doubles and had two RBI. Smetana had a single and double with two RBI. Carlstrom also had a pair of hits as CSB collected nine as a team.
CSB opened the scoring with a three-spot in the first inning. Swoboda had a two-run double to bring home Finkbeiner (reached on an error) and
Tiffany Thompson (pinch ran for Smetana, who doubled) for a 2-0 lead. After a single by Harren, Swoboda came home for a 3-0 lead. In the sixth frame, CSB made it 4-0 when Swoboda, who hit her second double of the game, scored on a wild pitch.
Back-to-back hits from Carlstrom and
Megan Erickson brought home
Lexi Hanson and a run-scoring hit from senior
Hannah Sundem scored Carlstrom for a 6-0 lead. An RBI ground out by Finkbeiner plated a run. Then Smetana had a two-run single as CSB pushed the lead to 9-0.
Game 2 – Saint Benedict 7 Concordia 0
Novak had a combined shutout with
Tiffany Thompson while Swoboda homered twice and Finkbeiner also had a home run as the Bennies earned a 7-0 win over Concordia in game two and a sweep of the doubleheader.
Novak (11-4) had nine strikeouts and allowed just two hits in six innings as she picked up her 11
th win in 15 decisions. Thompson, who made her first appearance of the season, finished with one inning of shutdown relief, recording a strikeout and a walk.
At the plate, Swoboda hit a pair of solo home runs to push her season total to six. Finkbeiner added her second home run of the season. In addition,
Megan Rasmussen had a two-run single as the Bennies had eight hits.
Swoboda opened the scoring by hitting a home run on a 3-0 count in the first inning with two out. In the fourth inning, CSB put up a three-spot for a 4-0 lead.
Harren scored after a single and an error by Concordia. Then, Rasmussen had a two-run single to left field which scored
Maddie Brey and
Maddy Kubik.
In the fifth inning, CSB had back-to-back home runs from FInkbeiner and Swoboda to push the lead to 6-0. In the seventh inning,
Gabby Spencer singled, advanced to second on a passed ball and scored on an RBI single from Harren for a 7-0 lead.