ST. CLOUD, Minn. – Saint Benedict softball split its season-opening doubleheader with UW-Stout at the St. Cloud State Husky Dome on Saturday, Feb. 21.
CSB led Stout early in game one before surrendering three runs in the fourth inning of a 5-2 loss. The Bennies led again in game two, this time by three, but were left to the final frame to decide its 4-3 win.
With runners on second and third, senior
Cat Smetana (Lake Elmo, Minn./Stillwater) reached first on a bunt, the Bennies' sixth of the day, and brought sophomore
Lily Treml (Shakopee, Minn.) home for the walk-off win.
Game 1 – UW-Stout 5, Saint Benedict 2
CSB scored a run in its first inning of the 2026 season, as Treml came home on a
Bryn Ruhberg (Lino Lakes, Minn./Centennial) ground out to second. After walking to start the inning, Smetana singled to right field to move her teammate up two bases.
A three-run homer gave the Blue Devils control of the game in the fourth inning. They added another to the lead with an RBI single to right center in the fifth and a sacrifice fly to center to score their fifth run of the game in the sixth inning.
Treml drove home senior
Tuscany Ballot (St. Anthony, Minn.) in the bottom of the sixth with a sacrifice fly to left field to cut the deficit, but CSB went three up, three down in the bottom of the seventh for the 5-2 final.
Senior pitcher
Ellie Peterson (St. Anthony, Minn.) took the loss, allowing five runs (all earned) on eight hits in 5.1 innings of work. She struck out one batter and walked two. First-year pitcher
Kaitlyn Pink (Delano, Minn.) pitched the remaining 1.2 innings, allowing no runs and two hits with two strikeouts.
Senior
Olivia Van Hout (Mahtomedi, Minn.) led the Bennies with a pair of hits.
Game 2 – Saint Benedict 4, UW-Stout 3
UW-Stout scored in the first inning off an RBI single, but the lead didn't last long, as Saint Ben's tacked on two in the bottom of the frame. Treml led off with a single to right. Senior
Olivia Tautges (Brainerd, Minn.) followed with her own single to right center, and Ruhberg drilled a two-run double.
Treml extended the lead to 3-1 with an RBI single, scoring Van Hout who reached base with a bunt.
Stout evened the score in the top of the sixth with a single to second that scored two. Senior pitcher
Olivia Wallace (Maple Grove, Minn.) held off UWS in the following inning, though, allowing just one hit and stranding two on base.
Van Hout bunted to start the seventh inning, followed by a Treml walk. Tautges struck out swinging, but both runners advanced. Smetana delivered the bunt just out of reach of the Blue Devil at third base and Van Hout crossed the plate for the game-winning run for the Bennies' first victory of the season.
CSB returns to indoor softball at UW-Eau Claire next Saturday, facing the Blugolds at the Sonnentag Fieldhouse for a 3/5:30 p.m. doubleheader.
