Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 ROCHESTER MINN. – There was a lot of pressure on the St. Catherine University softball team's shoulders to open the 2017 season. The Wildcats entered the weekend as the No. 9 ranked team in the country, the highest ranking for the team in program history, after a historic 2017 season. However, if St. Kate's felt any pressure, it certainly didn't show on opening day, as the team went 2-0 on Saturday in games against the College of St. Scholastica and Dominican University.

The Wildcats offense was on fire in both games, but especially in the team's 14-0 victory over St. Scholastica. As the away team, St. Kate's wasted no time getting on the board first, as Anna Hinderaker (Rosemount, Minn. / Rosemount), Krista Flugstad (Bloomington, Minn. / Jefferson) and Ashley Sis (Brooklyn Park, Minn. / Osseo) all crossed the plate to give the Wildcats a 3-0 lead in the first inning.

The Saints managed to keep St. Kate's scoreless in the second, but it was the last time the Wildcats wouldn't score for the rest of the game. St. Kate's tacked on two runs in the third, one in the fourth, and exploded for eight in the fifth to take a 14-0 lead.

Thanks to the 10-run rule, St. Kate's was able to finish the game in five innings. However, a 3-0 lead would have been enough for Flugstad, who was nearly flawless in her first appearance on the mound of the season. The junior ace gave up just two hits in four innings and did not allow a Scholastica runner to advance past second base. She also recorded four strike outs in her four innings of work, bringing her career total up to 308, which stands third all-time in St. Kate's history.

After the quick first game, the Wildcats were able to rest and recharge their batteries before their second against Dominican University. Due to the barrage of scoring in the first game, St. Kate's was looking for another quick and easy game against Dominican. However, the game was anything but that. The Stars jumped out to an early 4-1 lead after three innings then took a 5-2 lead in the fourth. St. Kate's eventually managed to tie the game at 4-4 before winning the game 6-4 in the seventh inning.  

St. Kate's will return to action Sunday afternoon with a 12 p.m. game against Simpson College and a 4 p.m. game against Coe College. The Wildcats noon game against Simpson will be the first time the two teams have met since the NCAA Regional last May. St. Kate's beat the Storm twice in Decorah, Iowa, which allowed the team to advance to the championship game of the regional.