NORTHFIELD, MINN. – There are very few things the St. Catherine University softball seniors have not accomplished. In four years with the program, the final five, plus one, have done just about everything under the sun, from leading St. Kate's to its first ever Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) and NCAA tournament appearances to breaking multiple school records in a single season.
 
There was one never, though, the senior class still had to check off its list: a sweep of MIAC rival St. Olaf College. Thanks to dominant pitching, timely hitting and a little comeback magic, St. Kate's six seniors can check that of their list, as the Wildcats defeated St. Olaf 10-1 in the opener and came back to beat the Oles 5-4 in the nightcap.
 
It was almost a tale of two games for St. Kate's, as dominant pitching and power at the plate highlighted the team's 10-1 victory in game one. Ironically, the Wildcats took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning without recording a single hit, as Anna Hinderaker (Rosemount, Minn. / Rosemount), Kylie Macziewski (Bloomington, Minn. / Jefferson) and Jenna George (Ellsworth, Wis. / Ellsworth) drew back-to-back-to-back walks to open the game. Hinderaker scored on a wild pitch by St. Olaf ace Julie Graf to put St. Kate's ahead 1-0 before Graf struck out the following three batters.
 
Still, the 1-0 lead was enough buffer room for senior ace Krista Flugstad (Bloomington, Minn. / Jefferson), who once again dominated on the mound for the Wildcats. The senior gave up just three hits in five innings, two of which were to former teammate Emily Carr, and allowed just one Ole to cross the plate in the bottom of the fourth inning. However, by the time Carr scored, St. Kate's already held a 3-0 lead over St. Olaf, as Gabby Nordman (Cloquet, Minn. / Denfield) and Claire Woebke (Bloomington, Minn. / Jefferson) scored in the top of the inning on back-to-back RBI singles from Amber Montero (Circle Pines, Minn. / Centennial) and Hinderaker.
 
The Wildcats weren't satisfied with their 3-1 lead, though, as they went on to score a combined seven runs in the fifth and sixth innings. George led off the fifth with a solo homer over the left-center fence to extend the lead to 4-1 before Ashley Sis (Brooklyn Park, Minn. / Osseo) extended the lead to 6-1 with a two-run shot of her own.
 
Alyssa Wicks (Blaine, Minn. / Anoka) scored later in the inning on an RBI from Flugstad to extend the lead to 7-1, but her moment came in the top of the sixth, when the first year tallied the first home run of her career in dramatic fashion. After falling behind 0-2 on the count, Wicks blasted the ball over the fence with Macziewski and George on base to give the Wildcats the definitive 10-1 lead. Kailee Berquam (Kenyon, Minn. / Kenyon-Wanamingo) relieved Flugstad in the bottom of the sixth and pitched a perfect inning, highlighted by a called strike three on Carr, to clinch the victory for St. Kate's.
 
Game two started out similarly and ended with a Wildcat victory, but the middle was very different from game one. Macziewski gave St. Kate's an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning thanks to an RBI double from junior catcher Sammie Galvez (Gilbert, Ariz. / Williams Field). However, the Oles countered by scoring four runs in the bottom of the first inning, all off first year starter Kathryn Proper (St. Paul, Minn. / Como Park). After getting the first two batters to ground out to George and Woebke, Proper ran into trouble in the heart of the Ole line up, as the home team's three, four and five batters all reached on hits to right center. With the game tied at 1-1, head coach Colleen Powers opted to put Flugstad in, who unfortunately gave up a home run to the first baseman, allowing St. Olaf to take a 4-1 lead.

The Wildcats chipped away at Graf, who came in to relieve the Oles starter after the first inning, but were unable to break through until the top of the fourth inning when Woebke tied the game with a three-run home run of her own. However, St. Kate's had to wait until the top of the sixth to take the 5-4 lead. Emily Saurer (Victoria, Minn. / Chanhassen) set the tone for the Wildcats by drawing a leadoff walk then stole second during Hinderaker's at bat. The right fielder then showed off her speed, scoring from second on an infield single from Hinderaker to officially put St. Kate's ahead 5-4.
 
Flugstad held on to win game two, improving her record to 12-0 in MIAC play this season. After allowing runners to reach on back-to-back singles in the sixth, Flugstad herself picked off an Ole pinch runner at third for out number two then struck out the eight batter to end the inning. She was perfect in the seventh, as she got two of the three St. Olaf batters to strikeout looking to clinch the 5-4 comeback victory for the Wildcats.
 
Multiple Wildcats went .500 at the plate in one or both games, including Hinderaker, Macziewski, Galvez, Sis and Montero. George was 1-1 with the home run in game one, while Wicks and Sis tallied homers in the opener and Woebke hit the game-tying homer in game two.
 
With the victories, St. Kate's overall record improves to 21-10 and the team is now 14-2 in MIAC play. The Wildcats will return to the field on Saturday, when they host St. Thomas University in a huge conference doubleheader at 1 and 3 p.m. The game will serve as St. Kate's home opener, when the team will unveil updates made to the facility, and as senior day.