ST. PAUL, MINN. – The busy week continues for the St. Catherine University softball team. The Wildcats will play their third and fourth doubleheaders of the week on Saturday and Sunday with the hope of solidifying their place in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) standings. St. Kate's will host the Augsburg College Auggies at 1 p.m. on Saturday at St. Kate's field then will travel to Hamline University to take on the Pipers at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
Here are the five things fans need to know before St. Kate's takes the field against its two MIAC opponents this weekend:
7 –
Krista Flugstad (Bloomington, Minn. / Jefferson) has pitched seven complete games this season, and six of those games have been shut outs. Her most recent shutouts include an 8-0 game one victory over Carleton on Thursday and a 1-0 win over St. Thomas on Tuesday. Flugstad also has lowest earned run average (ERA) on the team and in the MIAC with a 1.03 ERA.
2 – Last week, St. Kate's did something very few teams in the history of Division III softball have done: hit two grand slams in the same inning. Trailing Bethel 6-3 in the top of the seventh inning, third baseman
Kylie Macziewski (Bloomington, Minn. / Jefferson) hit a grand slam with no outs to give the Wildcats a 7-6 lead. Seven batters later, history repeated itself.
Robyn Rohr (Lakeville, Minn. / Lakeville North) hit a four run shot with two outs in the same inning, cementing St. Kate's 12-6 victory.
78 – The Wildcats have scored 78 runs in innings one through four in games this season while only allowing 28. St. Kate's is 15-0 when leading after four innings of play, which they have done in several of their games this season.
14 – Last season, the Wildcats scored 14 runs against the Auggies in the MIAC opener. Macziewski and
Ashley Sis (Brooklyn Park, Minn. / Osseo) both hit home runs in the first game, and six other players recorded at least one hit in game two.
22 – St. Kate's played 22 innings in its doubleheader against Hamline last season. The first game lasted 14 innings, the longest game in Wildcat softball history, and resulted in a 4-3 Piper win. Game two was slightly shorter and lasted only eight innings. However, it had a similar result, as Hamline won the second game by a score of 6-4.
Live stats will be available both
Saturday and
Sunday's doubleheaders. Also be sure to check St. Kate's official Twitter page @stkateswildcats for updates.