ST. CLOUD, Minn. – After earning a split to open the season, the College of Saint Benedict softball team now turns its attention to the road. The Bennies (1-1) will travel to Eau Claire, Wis., on Saturday for a nonconference doubleheader against UW-Eau Claire Blugolds (2-0), with first pitch set for 3 p.m. Game two between the Bennies and Blugolds will be 5:30 p.m.

Saint Ben's, which finished 26-14 a season ago and placed second in both the MIAC regular-season standings and playoffs, began 2026 at the St. Cloud Dome. The Bennies dropped the opener, 5-2, before bouncing back with a dramatic 4-3 walkoff victory to split the series.

Following Saturday's trip, Saint Benedict will head south for six games at the NFCA Leadoff Classic beginning March 6. The Bennies open tournament play against Pacific Lutheran and Pomona-Pitzer.

Scouting UW-Eau Claire
UW-Eau Claire opened its season with a pair of wins over Macalester, 12-5 and 9-5. In her 25th season at the helm, head coach Leslie Huntington has guided the program to 585 career victories. Through two games, the Blugolds are hitting an impressive .379 with a .603 slugging percentage.

Brooklyn Swanepool has paced the offense with a .750 batting average and .875 slugging mark. Claire Beck is hitting .571 with four RBI, while Molly Marquart owns a .429 average and .857 slugging percentage.

By the Numbers – Inside Saint Ben's
Through two contests, the Bennies are batting .245 with six runs on 13 hits and a .349 on-base percentage. They are a perfect 5-for-5 in stolen base attempts and have yet to commit an error in the field.

Senior Olivia Van Hout (Mahtomedi, Minn.) has had an impressive start at the plate, going 4-for-5 (.800) with two runs scored and three stolen bases. Sophomore Lily Treml (Shakopee, Minn.) is hitting .600 with three hits, two RBI, a .600 slugging percentage and a .625 on-base percentage.

Senior Olivia Tautges (Brainerd, Minn.) has reached base consistently, batting .400 with five walks and a .625 on-base percentage. Senior Bryn Ruhberg (Lino Lakes, Minn.) leads the team with three RBI. In the circle, senior Olivia Wallace (Maple Grove, Minn.) is 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA and a complete game to her credit. As a staff, the Bennies hold a 4.00 ERA over 14 innings.

Season Review: Bennies Split with UW-Stout
Saint Ben's wasted little time getting on the board in its 2026 opener. Treml sparked the first inning, eventually scoring on a groundout by Ruhberg after senior Tuscany Ballot (St. Anthony, Minn.) helped move runners into scoring position.

The momentum shifted in the fourth when UW-Stout used a three-run homer to seize control. The Blue Devils added single runs in the fifth and sixth to build a 5-1 advantage. Treml later drove in Ballot with a sacrifice fly in the sixth, but the Bennies were retired in order in the seventh, falling 5-2.

Senior pitcher Ellie Peterson (St. Anthony, Minn.) took the loss, allowing five earned runs on eight hits over 5.1 innings. First-year pitcher Kaitlyn Pink (Delano, Minn.) closed out the game with 1.2 scoreless innings, striking out two. Van Hout led the offense with two hits and a stolen base.

Game 2 – Saint Benedict 4, UW-Stout 3
In the nightcap, UW-Stout struck first with an RBI single in the opening frame. The Bennies responded immediately. Treml singled to lead off the inning, Tautges followed with a base hit, and Ruhberg laced a two-run double to give Saint Ben's a 2-1 lead.

Treml added an RBI single later in the game to extend the margin to 3-1, scoring Van Hout after she reached on a bunt.

UW-Stout rallied to tie the game in the sixth, but Wallace steadied the Bennies in the circle, working out of trouble in the seventh by allowing just one hit and stranding two runners.

In the bottom of the seventh, Van Hout again set the tone with a bunt single. After Treml drew a walk and the runners advanced, a perfectly placed bunt by Smetana brought Van Hout home for the walkoff win — securing Saint Ben's first victory of the young season and building momentum heading into Saturday's matchup in Eau Claire.