ST. PAUL, MINN. – It was a clutch weekend for the St. Catherine University softball team and Megan Lindenefelser (Nowthen, Minn. / Anoka). The sophomore made several big plays over the weekend on offense, defense, and on the mound to help the Wildcats make the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Playoff Championship game in the team’s first trip to the conference tournament. For her performances, Lindenfelser has been named Wildcat Athlete of the Week.
Lindenfelser’s clutch weekend started on Friday when St. Kate’s played Gustavus Adolphus College in the opening round of the MIAC Playoffs. The Wildcats held a 4-2 lead in the bottom of the seventh, but the Gusties managed to put a runner on first with two outs. With the game tying run at the plate, it looked like Gustavus knotted the game at four when Nathalee Boissiere hit a high fly ball deep to center field. Lindenfelser made the dramatic grab at the fence, robbing Boissiere of a clutch home run and clinching St. Kate's 4-2 victory.
In the Wildcats second game of the tournament, Lindenfelser had one of the team’s four hits in a 3-0 loss to top seeded St. Thomas. Then later, against Hamline in the elimination game, Lindenfelser hit an RBI single to help St. Kate’s advance to the MIAC Championship game for the first time in program history.
On Sunday, the Wildcats knew they needed to beat the Tommies twice in order to win the MIAC Playoff Championship. St. Kate’s ended up forcing a Game 7 and winning Game 6 5-4 behind the bat of Lindenfelser. The sophomore hit a two-run home run in the top of the first inning to help the Wildcats take a 2-0 lead. Then, in her first start of the postseason, Lindenfelser maintained St. Kate’s lead by allowing just three St. Thomas runs in five innings of work.
Thanks to Lindenfelser and the entire team’s clutch plays over the weekend, the Wildcats finished the tournament with a 3-3 record and reached the championship game in their first trip to the MIAC Playoffs. St. Kate’s will now wait to see if it receives an at large bid to play in the regional round of the NCAA tournament. The bracket will be announced at 12 p.m. Monday during the
selection show.
