ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – On a day filled with celebration and purpose, the College of Saint Benedict softball team honored seniors
Addy Bowne and
Megan Erickson before securing a key MIAC sweep over Gustavus Adolphus, 8-3 and 6-2, at the CSB Softball Field. With the wins, St. Benedict, which has won six straight games, locked up second place in the MIAC and earned a first-round bye in the upcoming conference playoffs.
Before the doubleheader, Bowne and Erickson were recognized for their leadership, commitment, and team-first mentality as part of Senior Day. Once the games began, both veterans made sure to leave their mark.
Erickson, a senior from Randolph, Minn., delivered a standout performance with five hits, including her third home run of the season, while driving in three runs across both games. Bowne, a Big Lake, Minn. native, added two hits, a run scored, and an RBI to help pace the Bennies on offense.
With the sweep, CSB improved to 23-13 overall and 15-5 in the MIAC, securing the No. 2 seed for the postseason. They will advance directly to the MIAC semifinals, set for May 10 in Winona, Minn., following the opening-round games on May 8.
Erickson had a big weekend, finishing 9-for-13 (.692) across four wins, adding two doubles, a triple, a home run, and 16 total bases for an eye-popping 1.231 slugging percentage. She's now hitting .324 on the season with 24 RBI and an OPS of .843.
Junior
Cat Smetana also played a key role this weekend, batting .467 (7-for-15) with two triples, a double, and eight RBI. She leads the team with 39 RBI and is batting .413 overall. Fellow junior
Bryn Ruhberg turned in a dominant series, going .556 (5-for-9) with four runs, six RBI, and her fifth home run of the year. She's now batting .390 with a team-best 1.222 OPS.
In the circle, juniors
Olivia Wallace and
Ellie Peterson each picked up wins to improve to 10 victories apiece. Wallace posted a 1.24 ERA over the weekend, while Peterson followed closely with a 2.56 ERA, as the duo combined for 13 strikeouts.
Game 1: Saint Benedict 8, Gustavus 3
In the opener,
Ellie Peterson earned her 10
th win in the circle and
Megan Erickson had three hits an RBI and run scored as the Bennies recorded an 8-3 win over Gustavus.
For Peterson, the reigning MIAC Pitcher of the Year moved to 10-7 and recorded her 13
th complete game of the season and 33
rd in her career. Erickson led the offense, while first-year
Lily Treml had two hits, RBI and a run scored while
Bryn Ruhberg had a hit and two RBI. Bowne had a hit and run scored and
Lauren Freeberg added a hit and two RBI.
After the Gusties took a 2-0 lead, the Bennies answered with three runs in the bottom of the second inning and added five in the fourth inning.
Game 2: Saint Benedict 6, Gustavus 2
Olivia Wallace threw a complete game while
Bryn Ruhberg and
Megan Erickson both homered to help CSB roll to a sweep in a 6-2 win over Gustavus.
After the Gusties took a 1-0 lead, the Bennies took control with single runs in the first and second innings before adding three runs in the fourth inning, including two when Erickson slammed her third homer of the season over the left field field. After Gustavus cut the lead to 5-2, the Bennies added another run in the sixth inning on Ruhberg's fifth home run of the season.
Wallace improved to 10-4 on the season by throwing her seventh complete game. Today, she scattered 11 hits and allowed two runs in working seven innings.
The Bennies wrap up the regular season next weekend, traveling to Bethel on Saturday, May 3, before hosting Central College on Sunday, May 4. With momentum and a first-round bye in hand, they'll look to carry their strong form into the MIAC Playoffs.
