WINONA, Minn. – The College of Saint Benedict softball team capped off a strong postseason run with a second-place finish in the MIAC Playoffs, falling, 5-3, to top-seeded and nationally 11th-ranked Saint Mary's University in the championship game on Saturday (May 10). Despite home runs from
Izzy Guttenfelder and
Tuscany Ballot, the Bennies (26-14) saw their nine-game winning streak come to an end in the playoff title game.
The Cardinals, which won the regular season MIAC title, captured the MIAC Playoff Championship and with it the conference's automatic berth in the NCAA DIII national tournament. CSB had advanced to the playoff championship with a 3-2 win over No. 3 seeded St. Olaf in the semifinals earlier on Saturday. In that game,
Olivia Tautges had a two-run double and
Ellie Peterson earned her 12
th win of the season and 40
th of her career.
MIAC Playoff Championship - No. 1 Saint Mary's 5 No. 2 Saint Benedict 3
St. Benedict, which had home runs from
Izzy Guttenfelder and
Tuscany Ballot, had its playoff championship hopes end in a 5-3 setback to No. 11 Saint Mary's in the MIAC Playoff Championship game on Saturday in Winona.
After the top-seeded Cardinals opened up a 3-0 lead in the first inning, the Bennies battled back. In the fourth inning, first-year
Izzy Guttenfelder hit her first career home run to cut the lead to 3-2. Then in the sixth inning,
Tuscany Ballot homered for a second time this season as the Bennies drew even at 3-3. But in the home half of the sixth inning, SMU had a two-run triple from Breonna Methner to retake the lead.
Junior
Ellie Peterson started for CSB and worked four innings, allowing three runs and recording a strikeout. Junior
Olivia Wallace finished for CSB and took the loss as she fell to 11-5 on the season. She allowed two hits and two runs while striking out a batter in two innings of work.
MIAC Playoff Semifinals – No. 2 Saint Benedict 3 No. 3 St. Olaf 2
Ellie Peterson recorded her 12
th win of the season while
Olivia Tautges had a two-run double to lead St. Benedict to a 3-2 win over St. Olaf in the MIAC Playoff Semifinals.
The Bennies scored all three of its runs in the third inning and used its strong pitching to earn the victory. Peterson (12-7) allowed six hits and just one run across five innings in earning the win. Junior
Olivia Wallace picked up her second save by working two innings and allowing two hits and a run.
Junior Bryn Ruberg had two hits to lead CSB's offense as she also scored a run. Tautges had a two-run double. First-year
Lily Treml also had two hits and an RBI.
In the third inning,
Olivia Van Hout opened with a bunt single, stole second and scored on an RBI single by
Lily Treml. Later in the third inning,
Bryn Ruhberg doubled to advance pinch runner
Allison Ritter to third before
Olivia Tautges had a two-out run-scoring double to plate both Ruhberg and Ritter.