MOORHEAD, Minn. – Tori Benson, Olivia Tautges and Megan Erickson each homered twice while Ellie Peterson and Olivia Wallace tossed complete games as the College of Saint Benedict softball team (11-11, 6-0 MIAC) extended its winning streak to nine games with 12-1 and 10-1 victories over Concordia (5-17, 1-5 MIAC) on Tuesday in road MIAC action.

CSB, which will host St. Catherine in a MIAC doubleheader on Saturday, April 13, moved to 11-11 overall with its eighth and ninth consecutive victories. As a result, the Bennies remained tied with Bethel at the top of the MIAC with 6-0 conference marks. Over the past four games, the Saint Benedict offense has accumulated 40 runs and 58 hits while winning four straight games by the run rule. In that span, CSB has hit .479, led by Addy Bowne with a .636 average and .583 marks by Bryn Ruhberg and Louisville Slugger/NFCA DIII National Player of the Week Olivia Tautges who had a 1.333 slugging mark (3 homers and six RBI).

In the wins today, CSB recorded a .484 batting average with 22 runs on 30 hits with six home runs and five doubles or an a season-best 11 extra base hits in a doubleheader. Tautges hit .800 with four hits in five at bats with two homers and a 2.000 slugging mark. Cat Smetana and Tori Benson each had a .571 batting average with Benson's slugging mark at 1.429 as she matched Tautges with four RBI. Erickson hit .429 with two homers and six RBI with a 1.286 slugging mark. In the circle, CSB had an 0.82 earned run average with Wallace giving up just one hit with two strikeouts in tossing her team-high fifth complete game of the season in the 12-1 game one win. Peterson had a 1.50 ERA as she had her third complete game of the season and 11^th of her career in winning her fifth game of the season in the 10-1 game two victory.

Nine-Game Win Streak – By the Numbers –
Over the nine-game winning streak, the Bennies have hit .416 to raise their team season average to .314. Saint Benedict is led by Bryn Ruhberg at .421 followed by Tautges at .379, who has a 1.203 OPS with seven home runs and 22 RBI and .793 slugging mark. In the winning streak, Tautges hit .633 with 19 hits, 14 runs, five home runs and 17 RBI with a .667 on-base percentage. Sammy Muetzel has hit .550 with 11 hits while Bowne had 10 hits in 20 at bats and hit .500. Erickson hit. 379 with 14 RBI and three homers. Carlstrom was 15-of-31 from the plate for a .484 average at the plate.

In the circle, CSB had a 1.19 earned run average with just 35 hits allowed in 59 innings with 35 strikeouts. Peterson was 5-0 with a 1.20 earned run average and three complete games with 26 strikeouts in 35 innings. Addy Bowne was 3-0 with a 1.87 earned run average and Wallace 1-0 with a 0.00 earned run average in her five appearances and nine innings. With her two home runs, Harren has moved into a tie for third all-time at CSB with 17 (Mackenzie Wenner, 2012-15). In each of the last eight games, CSB has recorded double-digits in hits.

Game 1 – Saint Benedict 12 Concordia 1 (5 innings)
Tautges, Erickson and Benson all homered to back the one-hit shutout of Wallace as the College of Saint Benedict rolled to its eighth straight win with a third straight run-rule win in a 12-1 decision over Concordia.

Erickson had two hits in three at bats with her second home run of the season. Tautges also homered for the fourth time in seven games and the sixth time this year with a three-run blast in the opening inning. She was 3-of-3 with three RBI and a run scored. Benson hit her first home run of the season as she had two hits and two runs in three plate appearances. CSB, which had a season-high 18 hits, also had two hits each from  Ruhberg, Cat Smetana and Maddy Kubik.

In the circle, Wallace (2-6) had a career-best pitching performance, allowing just one hit and no earned runs across five innings. She had a pair of strikeouts and walked three batters in her team-high five complete game in 2024.

Game Summary - CSB opened up a 4-0 lead in the opening frame on the strength of Tautges's three-run home run. Then, CSB had a run in the second frame and two in the third frame for a 7-0 lead. In the fourth inning, the Bennies had five runs and with a hold by Wallace in the fifth inning, earned its 10^th win of the season.

Game 2 – Saint Benedict 10 Concordia 1 (6 innings)
In a repeat performance, Benson, Tautges and Erickson homered while Peterson tossed a complete game six-hitter to lift the College of Saint Benedict to a 10-1 run-rule win and sweep of the doubleheader against Concordia.

Peterson (5-4) registered her third complete game and fifth win of the season by allowing just six hits in six innings with seven strikeouts.

With 12 hits, CSB reached double-digits in runs for a second straight game. Four CSB players had multi-hits including Carlstrom, who also had an RBI and run scored. Muetzel had two hits in three at bats while Smetana had two hits, RBI and run scored in four at bats. Tautges had a home run and three runs scored while Benson had two hits and three RBI with a home run. Erickson recorded the three-run home run.

Game Summary - After Concordia plated a run on three hits in the opening inning, Tautges had the answer with a solo shot for a 1-1 tie in the second inning. CSB took a 2-1 lead in the third inning on an RBI fielders' choice by Bowne. With a pair of runners on base in the fifth inning, Erickson smashed her third home run of the season in the fifth inning to extend CSB's lead to 5-1. Then, later in the frame, Benson's second home run of the day, a two-run shot to center field scored Carlstrom. In the sixth inning, CSB took an 8-1 lead when Smetana hit a run-scoring double to score Ruhberg, who had doubled to reach base. Carlstrom's RBI single brought home Smetana and Benson's RBI ground out plated Tautges.