Notables
-Howe was 6-for-7 at the plate, earned the win in game two and the save in game one
-Howe becomes the ninth player in program history to record at least 100 hits, 100 RBI and 100 runs in her career
-Rosenthal with the win and three RBIs in game one
-Doubleheader postponed three times prior to finally being played
-CSS struck out a season-high 16 times in game two
MOORHEAD, Minn. (
csssaints.com) – The St. Scholastica softball team wrapped up its 2022 campaign recording its first Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) doubleheader sweep of the season with a pair of one-run victories over Concordia College-Moorhead on Wednesday.
Game 1: CSS 6, Concordia 5 (F/8)
The Cobbers (12-20, 6-12) took an early 2-0 lead in the doubleheader opener with a home run and an RBI single in the second inning. The Saints cut the lead in half in the third on a
Lauren Laviano (Maplewood, Minn./Mahtomedi HS) RBI single, bringing in
Heidi Stewart (Burnsville, Minn./Burnsville HS (Saint Mary's)).
St. Scholastica took the lead in the fourth inning as
Mady Peterson (White Bear Lake, Minn./White Bear Lake HS) drove in
Kate Broderick (Prior Lake, Minn./Prior Lake HS) and a two-out error allowed Peterson to score later in the inning to make it 3-2.
After Concordia stranded the bases loaded in the bottom of the fourth, the Saints added to their lead with a
Haley Rosenthal (Mahtomedi, Minn./Mahtomedi HS) two-run single in the fifth to make it 5-2. St. Scholastica maintained a three-run lead going into the bottom of the seventh when the Cobbers rallied, scoring three runs, including two, two-out bases loaded walks to tie the game at 5-5 and send the contest into extra innings.
The Saints responded in the eighth as it was Rosenthal again with a RBI single, bringing in
Olivia Howe (Scandia, Minn./Forest Lake HS) to make it 6-5. The Cobbers had the leadoff batter in the bottom frame thrown out at second and Howe, who came in to close, shut down the next two batters to give the Saints the 6-5 victory.
Rosenthal struck out six in the win. Howe earned the save and was 3-for-3 at the plate with two runs scored. Stewart was also 3-for-3 with two runs scored offensively.
Game 2: CSS 4, Concordia 3
The nightcap saw the Saints jump out on top first even with the first eight batters striking out.
Emma Bolin (Litchfield Park, Ariz./Millennium HS) broke the streak and then
Aislind Dail (Sumner, Wash./Sumner HS) put one over the left field fence to make it 2-0.
The Cobbers got their first hits of the game in the fourth and had two runs come across to tie the game at 2-2. St. Scholastica answered in the fifth inning with a RBI double by Bolin to plate Peterson. Bolin later scored on a Howe RBI single to make it 4-2.
Concordia got one of those runs back in its half of the fifth inning to make it 4-3. The Cobbers then stranded the bases loaded in the sixth and could not get a runner in scoring position in the seventh as the Saints came away with the doubleheader sweep with a 4-3 game two win.
Howe earned the win in the pitching circle, striking out four. She was also 3-for-4 to lead the offense.
Grace Hadlich (Stillwater, Minn./Mahtomedi HS) and Bolin also had a pair of hits.
End of Season
The Saints finish with a 15-21 overall record and 7-15 in their first season in the MIAC. St. Scholastica says goodbye to seniors
Olivia Howe (Scandia, Minn./Forest Lake HS),
Sydney Plemel (Sauk Rapids, Minn./Sauk Rapids-Rice HS),
Heidi Stewart (Burnsville, Minn./Burnsville HS (Saint Mary's)) and
Kate Broderick (Prior Lake, Minn./Prior Lake HS).
Howe becomes the ninth player in program history to record at least 100 hits (184), 100 RBI (111) and 100 runs (101) in her career. She finishes third in program history with a .454 career batting average as she started all 129 games over the last four years.
For future news on the St. Scholastica softball program; keep following csssaints.com.
