ST. PAUL, MINN. – It was the kind of situation Krista Flugstad (Bloomington, Minn. / Jefferson) and the St. Catherine University softball team were born for. After falling to the University of St. Thomas 3-0 in the second round of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) playoffs, the Wildcats needed to beat upset minded Hamline University to advance to the final round.

Win was exactly what St. Kate's did. The Wildcats defeated Hamline 3-0 in their second game of the afternoon behind Flugstad's complete game to advance to the MIAC Championship for the first time in St. Kate's history.

The Wildcats were looking to advance directly to the championship game with an upset win over top seeded St. Thomas in the first game of the day. However, the Tommies didn't waste any time showing why they were the top team in the MIAC all season. St. Thomas took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning when second baseman Meg DePuis hit a leadoff single and scored three batters later.

St. Kate's tried to tie the game up in the top of the second when Flugstad hit a two-out single to right center to give the Wildcats their first base runner of the ballgame. Unfortunately, Flugstad did not get past second base, as Tommie starter Kierstin Anderson-Glass got Sammie Galvez (Gilbert, Ariz. / Williams Field) to ground out to third.

St. Thomas added to their lead in the bottom of the second as Anderson-Glass and DePuis scored to give the Tommies a 3-0. Those were the last two runs either team would score, as Flugstad and the St. Kate's defense held the St. Thomas offense at bay for the remaining five innings.

The Wildcats threatened to cut into the Tommie lead multiple times throughout the rest of the game. Donielle Kurvers (Monticello, Minn. / Monticello) and Megan Lindenfelser (Nowthen, Minn. / Anoka) both tried to jump start St. Kate's offense with hits in the third and fourth inning but were stranded at first and second base.

Flugstad opened the sixth inning with a leadoff walk, and Colleen Powers opted to put pinch runner Megan Miller (Green Isle, Minn. / Norwood Young America) in at first. Miller advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Anna Hinderaker (Rosemount, Minn. / Rosemount) but was again stranded. The Wildcats also mounted a rally in the seventh inning, jump started by a one out single by Ashley Sis (Brooklyn Park, Minn. / Osseo) but were held scoreless.

Despite suffering the 3-0 loss in game one, the Wildcats still had a chance to make it to the championship game with a victory over the Pipers. Hamline upset second seed Gustavus Adolphus College in the second game of the afternoon to send the Gusties home with a 0-2 record in the tournament.

Flugstad got the nod in game two after pitching six complete innings in the loss to St. Thomas. The sophomore didn't miss a beat. She gave up a one out double to Hamline's Mary-Clare Coulliard but got the next two batters to ground out and strikeout to pitch her fifth consecutive shutout inning of the afternoon.

St. Kate's aggressive offense looked to give its starter some run support early in the elimination game. Senior shortstop Robyn Rohr (Lakeville, Minn. / Lakeville North) jump started the offense with a leadoff single, then advanced to third on back-to-back sacrifice bunts by Brittney Frenette (Columbia Heights, Minn. / Irondale) and Kylie Macziewski (Bloomington, Minn. / Jefferson). Unfortunately, Rohr was unable to score, and the first inning ended with a score of 0-0.

Flugstad held the Pipers at bay for two straight innings to give her offense a chance to score the first runs of the ball game. Hinderaker opened the bottom of the third with an infield single and took second on a wild pitch by Hamline starter Sarah DeMars. Kurvers brought her home on a single up the middle, and St. Kate's took a 1-0 lead.

Of course, the Wildcats weren't satisfied with just one run in the inning. After Kurvers was caught trying to steal second, Rohr reached on a walk and Frenette and Macziewski hit back-to-back singles to load the bases with one out. Rohr scored on a single by Lindenfelser, St. Kate's ended the inning with not one, but two runs to take a 2-0 lead over the Pipers.

Flugstad continued to keep Hamline off the board, and St. Kate's added an insurance run in the bottom of the fifth inning. Kurvers once again found her way to first and was bunted over to second by fellow senior Rohr. Then, Claire Woebke (Bloomington, Minn. / Jefferson) hit one the most clutch singles of her career. The sophomore came in to pinch hit for Frenette and hit a single to the right side, scoring Kurvers from second and solidifying the Wildcats 3-0 victory.

Flugstad went the distance in both games for St. Kate's to pitch a total of 13 innings. Against St. Thomas, the sophomore suffered her third loss of the season, and in six innings of work, gave up three runs on nine hits with four strikeouts.

Flugstad set three school records in the game against Hamline. She pitched her seventh shutout win of the season, which broke the school record for shutouts in a single season. Flugstad also set the school record for wins in a single season with her 17-3 record and helped the Wildcats reach two milestones for the first time in program history: 30 wins and the MIAC Championship game.

The Wildcats will have a chance to avenge their second round loss to the Tommies on Sunday in the MIAC Championship. St. Kate's will need to beat St. Thomas twice in order to win and receive the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. First pitch of the first game will be at 11 a.m. at St. Thomas.