Box Score 1 | Box Score 2
After a week filled with cancellations due to a late winter storm, the St. Catherine University softball team was forced to move its Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) series against Bethel University indoors and hoped the conditions would play into its favor.
 
Despite a two-homer day from Regan Kriechbaum (Faribault, Minn.), the Wildcats couldn't find a way to come up with a much-needed MIAC win as it dropped a heartbreaking 10-inning first game to the Royals11-8, before falling 9-1 in five innings of game two Friday night at the Rosemount Dome in Rosemount, Minn.
 
Kriechbaum finished the series 3-for-6 with five RBI which included a two-run home run to tie game one in the bottom of the seventh - sending the game to extra innings.
 
The Wildcats opened game one with a 3-1 lead after one inning of play before staring at a 6-3 deficit after a five-run second inning from the Royals.
 
In the third inning, Ashley Matthys (Elk River, Minn.) picked up one of her two hits in the game to bring Caitlin DeWitt (Stillwater, Minn.) home and pulled the Wildcats within two.
 
The Royals roared out to an 8-4 lead in the fourth when Angie Jackson hit a two-run homer as part of her four-hit outing in the opening game, but senior Shae Elliott (Richfield, Minn.) hit a homer of her own to make it 8-5 at the end of five.
 
Elliot then picked up an RBI to bring Jenna Brady (Greenfield, Minn.) home in the bottom of the seventh - pulling the Wildcats within two to set up Kriechbaum's game-tying shot and keeping the Wildcats alive.
 
After two scoreless extra innings, the Royals would take advantage of a Wildcat error to score three runs in the top of the tenth before shutting the Wildcats out for the 11-8 win.
 
In addition to Kriechbaum, Elliott and Matthys' two-hit days at the plate, three other Wildcats each picked up two hits in the opening contest including Brady, Jessica Tyminski (Champlin, Minn.) and Alyssa Luedtke (Spring Lake Park, Minn.).
 
Just before midnight, the second game opened with a scoreless first inning for both teams. However, Kriechbaum hit her second home run of the day to give the Wildcats an early 1-0 lead after the opening two innings.
 
The Wildcats were able to hold the Royals scoreless through four innings. But that wasn't enough as the bats came alive in the top of the fifth inning when the Royals cranked out four home runs and took advantage of two Wildcat errors to score eight runs.
 
With the loss, the Wildcats fall to 9-10 on the season and 1-5 in MIAC play. Next, the Wildcats are scheduled to open up at home against St. Olaf College Monday at 3:30 p.m.
 
---
 
This season, one Wildcat softball alum will throw out the opening pitch at each Wildcat home game. Friday, the Wildcats welcomed back Kelly (Wallentiny) Weinhold '07 to kick off the series against the Royals. Weinhold played shortstop for the Wildcats, holds the career record for most games played (147) and at bats (455) and is in the top-10 all-time in multiple hitting categories. An Accounting and Financial Economics double major, Weinhold now works as a Senior Financial Analyst for the International Division of Polaris.
 
Wildcats on Twitter
Wildcats on Facebook