ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Powered by a strong offensive showing from Cat Smetana, Olivia Tautges, and Lily Treml, along with dominant pitching, the College of Saint Benedict softball team (14-10 overall, 6-2 MIAC) earned a doubleheader sweep over St. Catherine (11-15, 3-5 MIAC) in conference action on Saturday, April 12.

The sweep pushes CSB into third place in the MIAC standings and extends their hot streak to 10 wins in their last 13 games.

The day was highlighted by junior infielder Cat Smetana reaching a career milestone—recording her 100th career hit. She finished the day 4-for-8 with two RBI and two runs scored, lifting her team-leading batting average to .405 and her OPS to 1.003. Olivia Tautges was also outstanding at the plate, going 4-for-7 with two doubles, a triple, two RBI, and a team-best eight total bases, raising her batting average to .402 and OPS to 1.134. First-year outfielder Lily Treml continued her impressive run, batting .375 on the season after collecting three hits, three runs, and three RBI on the day. Tuscany Ballot added to the offensive fireworks, going 3-for-4 with a double, a triple, and a run scored.

Overall, the Bennies hit .414 as a team (24-for-58) with a .462 on-base percentage. In the circle, the trio of junior Ellie Peterson, junior Olivia Wallace and first-year Anna Corbid combined for a stellar 0.58 ERA across the two games, allowing just one run on seven hits while striking out 12.

Game 1: Saint Benedict 6, St. Catherine 0
Ellie Peterson shine in game one, tossing her sixth career shutout and 28th complete game. Peterson improved to 6-5 on the year, giving up just two hits and striking out a season-high eight batters. She's now allowed just one earned run across her last three starts, totaling 21 innings with 13 strikeouts.

Offensively, Sammy Muetzel made a strong return to the lineup, going 3-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored. Smetana added a hit, RBI, and a run, while Tautges contributed a double and a walk. Additional extra-base hits came from Megan Erickson with an RBI double, Tuscany Ballot and Izzy Radel, who both tripled and scored a run.   

Game 2: Saint Benedict 12, St. Catherine 1
CSB's offense exploded in game two, racking up 12 runs on 14 hits en route to a five-inning win. The attack was led by Treml, Smetana, Ballot, and Tautges, each of whom had multiple hits and RBIs.

Olivia Wallace earned the win, improving to 6-3 on the season. She threw three shutout innings, allowing just two hits and striking out three. Anna Corbid finished the game with two innings of relief, giving up one run on three hits with a strikeout.

Smetana tallied her milestone 100th hit in the fifth inning and finished with three hits, an RBI, and a run scored. Tautges added three hits—including a double and her fifth triple of the year—two runs, two RBI, and a stolen base. Treml drove in three runs on two hits, including a double, and scored twice. Ballot and Olivia Van Hout each added two hits, with Van Hout knocking in two runs. 

Next up, the Bennies will host Macalester on Sunday, April 13, at 1/3 p.m., at the CSB Softball Field.