ATLANTA, Ga. – Sophomore Olivia Wallace recorded her first career win and complete game to lead the College of Saint Benedict softball team (2-6) to a 5-4 road nonconference win and split of a doubleheader over Emory (6-4) on Thursday (March 7). The Bennies lost game one, 10-0, in a run-rule shortened game one.
 

Wallace (1-3), who shut out Emory for six innings, allowed four runs in seven innings with three strikeouts as she earned her first win. Sophomore Cat Smetana and junior Maddy Kubik led CSB's offense as both players recorded two hits and an RBI.

The Bennies ended their spring break trip with a 2-6 record and will host No. 4 Coe College in a doubleheader on Sunday, March 24 at the CSB Softball Field.

Game 1 – Emory 10 CSB 0
In the opener, Emory scored six runs in the first inning in a 10-0 run-rule shortened win over the Bennies. After the first inning, the Eagles built on their lead with two runs in the second frame and two in the third as they finished with 10 runs on 11 hits.

Ellie Peterson (0-3) took the setback as she allowed seven hits and eight runs with a strikeout and three walks in 2 1/3 innings. Wallace worked 1 2/3 innings as she gave up four hits and two runs while recording a strikeout. Earning her fourth win of the season was Mackenzie Duford (4-1), who allowed just one hit with three strikeouts. Isabel Cohen finished as she permitted a hit and two strikeouts in 1 1/3 innings.

The Bennies had two hits, including a single from Bryn Ruhberg, and a double by Olivia Laudenbach, who had her first career hit.  Page Nellis had two hits and three runs with two RBI while Ellie Zerr had two hits and three RBI to lead Emory.

Game 2 – Saint Benedict 5 Emory 4
Olivia Wallace recorded her first career win and complete game to lead Saint Benedict to a 5-4 win over Emory in game two of a doubleheader on Thursday. Wallace (1-3) allowed four runs on eight hits in a career-high seven innings in the circle to pick up the win.

Wallace, who had three strikeouts and four walks, had pitched a previous high of six innings against Mary Hardin-Baylor on March 2. She shut out the Eagles for six innings before Emory broke through with four runs in the seventh inning. Lexi Bach (1-2) started and took the loss for the Eagles as she allowed two hits and three runs with a walk before leaving the game in the first inning. Cohen (one inning, two runs, two hits) and Duford (six innings, three hits, no runs, two walks, five strikeouts) finished for the Eagles.

On offense, the Bennies were led by Smetana, who had two hits in four at bats with an RBI. Kubik also had two hits and an RBI as CSB totaled seven hits.

Through eight games, Kubik leads the team with a .412 average and an .883 OPS while Smetana, who has a team-high nine hits this season, is hitting .360 with an .840 OPS for second on the team. Senior Bryn Carlstrom, who is hitting .333 on the season, had her eighth hit of the season in game two and added an RBI and run scored.

Saint Benedict scored five runs on four hits and an error to take a 5-0 lead in the top of the first inning. Sophomore Bryn Ruhberg singled and stole second with Olivia Van Hout scoring on Carlstrom's RBI single for a 1-0 lead. Carlstrom had a stolen base with Ruhberg coming home on an RBI single from Smetana for a 2-0 lead. On an error by Emory, Carlstrom scored as Sammy Muetzel reached base to keep bases loaded. Then, Addy Bowne had a sacrifice fly to bring home junior Megan Erickson. A run-scoring single by Kubik helped CSB take a 5-0 advantage.

Emory scored all of its runs in the bottom of the seventh inning, which include a three-run double from Zerr. Ashley Chu led Emory with four hits as the Eagles collected eight in the game.