ARDEN HILLS, MINN. – There are 21 outs per team in softball. On Sunday, the St. Catherine University softball team made all 21 of their outs count in both their games against Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) foe Bethel University. The Wildcats swept the Royals for the first time in program history, according to available records, in dramatic fashion, coming from behind in the seventh inning to win game one 12-6 before blanking Bethel in game two by a score of 9-0.  

St. Kate's was aggressive from the get go, looking to get revenge after what happened at Bethel last season. The Wildcats lost two close games to the Royals in 2015, and were poised to avenge at least one of those losses in the first game. St. Kate's held a 3-0 lead in the top of the second inning thanks to a five hit inning. Ashley Sis (Brooklyn Park, Minn. / Osseo) led off the inning with a double, while Sammie Galvez (Gilbert, Ariz. / Williams Field), Megan Lindenfelser (Nowthen, Minn. / Anoka), and Anna Hinderaker (Rosemount, Minn. / Rosemount) followed with back-to-back-to-back singles. Sis scored from third on Lindenfelser's single, while pinch runner Megan Miller (Green Isle Minn. / Norwood Young America) and Hinderaker scored on Robyn Rohr's (Lakeville, Minn. / Lakeville North) RBI double later in the inning.

The reigning MIAC regular season champions answered with a big inning of their own, scoring two runs in the bottom of the second to cut St. Kate's lead to 3-2. Bethel then managed to hold the Wildcats offense at bay for the next four innings and took a decisive 6-3 lead in the fifth inning.

After their six, seven, and eight batters went down in order in the top of the sixth, St. Kate's had just three outs to make up the three run the deficit. They made those three outs count. Senior right fielder Donielle Kurvers (Monticello, Minn. / Monticello) drew a leadoff walk in the top of the seventh, and the Wildcats offense ignited. Rohr hit her second double of the game and pinch hitter Jenna George (Ellsworth, Wis. / Ellsworth) advanced to first on an error by the pitcher.

Then, red hot Kylie Macziewski (Bloomington, Minn. / Jefferson) came to the plate. With bases loaded and no outs, the third baseman hit the first grand slam of her collegiate career to help the Wildcats take a 7-6 lead in the final inning of the game.

The St. Kate's offense wasn't done scoring after that. The Wildcats managed to load the bases again, this time behind a double and three straight walks. Sis scored from third when Kurvers was walked with the bases loaded, bringing Rohr to the plate with two outs and three runners on. Then, history repeated itself. Rohr hit her second grand slam of the season to seal St. Kate's 12-6 win and their first over Bethel in eight years.  

After defeating the Royals 12-6 in game one, the Wildcats offense picked up right where it left off in game two. St. Kate's scored three unanswered runs in the first four innings and scored six more throughout the fifth, sixth and seventh innings. However, they needed just one run to ensure victory, as starting pitcher Krista Flugstad (Bloomington, Minn. / Jefferson) had one of her best outings of the year. The sophomore ace recorded 18 straight outs without giving up a single hit and held a no hitter through the sixth inning. In the bottom of the seventh, Flugstad surrendered her first hit of the ball game, but it proved to be no harm no foul as she sent the next three Bethel batters down in order, sealing the Wildcats 9-0 victory. 

Rohr led the team in hitting in both games, going 7-10 in the day with a team high eight RBIs and two runs. Macziewski, Sis, Galvez, and Lindenfelser all had at least one multi-hit game against the Royals, and all four recorded at least one multi-base hit in either game one or game two.

With the sweep, St. Kate's overall record improves to 17-2 and their conference record moves to 4-2. The Wildcats will face the MIAC leading University of St. Thomas on Tuesday at St. Kate's Field. It will be the first time in program history that both St. Kate's and St. Thomas softball teams are ranked in the top-25 when they play each other. The first game of the doubleheader is slated to start at 3:30 p.m.