Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 ST. PAUL, MINN. – Home runs, lead changes, more home runs, extra innings, and dramatic, game saving plays. Just the things one would expect from a doubleheader between Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) rivals St. Catherine University and the University of St. Thomas. Fortunately, the series did not disappoint college softball fans, with a combined nine home runs hit between the first and second games and extra innings drama to boot. It even involved a victory for St. Kate's. Despite a tough 6-5 extra innings loss in game one, the Wildcats rebounded in a big way in game two, hitting three home runs over the course of seven innings to upend the No. 7 Tommies 10-9.
 
Game one was everything promised between St. Kate's and St. Thomas and then some, as the two teams hit a combined four home runs in nine innings of action. Unfortunately, it was the Tommies who led the home run category in game one, as they scored four of their six total runs off homers in the game, including Dana Connolley's two-run shot in the top of the first inning. The junior left fielder knocked a Krista Flugstad (Bloomington, Minn. / Jefferson) fastball out of the park to give St. Thomas an early 2-0 lead.
 
Fortunately, the Wildcats had the perfect answer in the bottom of the first, as Anna Hinderaker (Rosemount, Minn. / Rosemount) and Jenna George (Ellsworth, Wis. / Ellsworth) scored to tie the game at 2-2. Hinderaker led off the inning with a walk and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Kylie Macziewski (Bloomington, Minn. / Jefferson), putting a runner in scoring position for the dangerous George. The junior third baseman's monster double to the left field fence easily scored Hinderaker from second, and George herself later scored from third on a wild pitch to even the score at 2-2.
 
Unfortunately, the Tommies answered with a solo home run by Sam Hogan in the top of the second, extending their lead to 3-2 before Elise Barnes made it 4-2 in the third with a solo home run of her own. St. Kate's didn't have an answer until the bottom of the seventh. After Hinderaker grounded out to the shortstop, the Wildcats were down to their final two outs of the game with Macziewski batting and George on deck. The senior and junior delivered in a big way, as Macziewski hit a line drive single up the middle to put the game-tying run at the plate. George, then, did her Jenna George thing, as she hit a monster home run to the opposite field to tie the game at 4-4.
 
St. Thomas did manage to score in the top of the eighth, as Barnes lead off triple resulted in a 5-4 Tommie lead. However, St. Kate's again answered. Amber Montero (Circle Pines, Minn. / Centennial) managed to hit a two-out single and later scored on another liner by Macziewski to tie the game 5-5. With Macziewski advancing to second on the throw, Hinderaker tried to take advantage and score the game winning run from third. Sadly, Hinderaker was thrown out at home, thus the game being sent to the ninth inning.
 
St. Thomas scored the lone run of the ninth inning, taking advantage of a base hit bunt and uncharacteristic error by the Wildcats to take a 6-5 lead. Unfortunately, St. Kate's did not have an answer in the bottom of the inning, as George, Ashley Sis (Brooklyn Park, Minn. / Osseo) and Alyssa Wicks (Blaine, Minn. / Anoka) went down in order, resulting in the one run loss.

Flugstad suffered her first loss in MIAC play in game one, as she gave up six total runs, four of which were earned, in nine full innings of work. Macziewski went 3-4 at the plate with a run and RBI, while George was 3-5 with three RBI and two runs.
 
The Wildcats rebounded in a big way in game two, though, coming back to hand the No. 7 Tommies just their second loss in MIAC play with a 10-9 victory. However, St. Kate's did have some work to do after the top of the first inning, as St. Thomas took a 2-0 lead thanks to three consecutive hits from the first three batters. Fortunately, George had the answer the Wildcats desperately needed, as she hit her second home run of the doubleheader in the bottom of the inning to cut the Tommies lead to 2-1.
 
Sadly, St. Thomas proved why it's the No. 7 ranked team in the country in the top of the third. While first year starter Kathryn Proper (St. Paul, Minn. / Como Park) managed to pitch her way out of jams in the first and second inning, she wasn't as lucky in the third. A one-out triple from Melissa Berry resulted in an eventual sacrifice squeeze play, allowing the Tommies to extend their lead to 3-1. One single and fluke play later resulted in a 4-1 St. Thomas lead after two and a half innings.
 
Slowly but surely, St. Kate's chipped away at the Tommie lead. Sis cut it in half with a solo home run in the bottom of the third, before St. Thomas took a 6-2 lead in the top of the fourth. The Wildcats, though, could not have asked for a better answer in the bottom of the inning. Montero jump started the offense with a leadoff single before being called out at second on a fielder's choice by Trish Sherman (Roseville, Minn. / Roseville). Sherman managed to reach second on a single from Hinderaker, putting at least one runner in scoring position for Macziewksi. Turns out, all three of them would score on the ensuing play, as Macziewski jacked a ball over the left field fence for her fourth home run of the season to cut the Tommies lead to 6-5.
 
Flugstad relieved Berquam in the top of the next inning and held the St. Thomas batters at bay, giving her offense a chance to at least tie or take a lead in the bottom of the fifth. The Wildcats opted for option number two, as they took their first lead of the afternoon thanks to a three-run home run by second baseman Claire Woebke (Bloomington, Minn. / Jefferson). Later in the very same inning, Macziewski unleashed the kraken and hit her second home run of the game, this time a two-run dinger to extend the lead to 10-6.
 
It turned out Macziewski's second home run of the game was necessary, as the Tommies scored three unearned runs in the sixth to cut St. Kate's lead to 10-9. Two base hits and two Wildcat errors resulted in the runs, but St. Kate's seemed to have the perfect answer in the bottom of the sixth. Sammie Galvez (Gilbert, Ariz. / Williams Field) led off the inning with a double and Flugstad drew a walk to put runners on first and second with no outs.
 
Sadly, Galvez and Flugstad were stranded on second and third after Woebke's bunt put them both in scoring position. Still, the Wildcats were confident they would walk away with a two game split against the No. 7 team in the country. However, St. Thomas did make things interesting when Hogen reached on an error and advanced to second on a bunt from Beeso. She eventually made it to third on a fly out to right field, putting the game-tying run in scoring position with two outs.
 
Flugstad showed poise and calm on the mound and eventually won the battle with St. Thomas shortstop Rachel Suter. After fouling five straight pitches, Suter eventually hit a soft liner to Macziewski, who caught the ball with ease to secure the 10-9 win for St. Kate's.
 
In total, a combined nine home runs were hit by the Wildcats and Tommies in the doubleheader, including those by George, Sis, Macziewski and Woebke in game two. Galvez was the team's top hitter in the second game, however, as she went 3-4 at the plate with a run, while three student-athletes from St. Kate's went 2-4 at the plate, including two of the home run hitters.
 
Flugstad earned her 13^th win of the season thanks to relief appearance. In three innings of work, the senior gave up just one earned run and three hits while striking out two Tommie batters.
 
Thanks to the split, the Wildcats are now 22-11 on the season and hold a 15-3 mark in MIAC play. St. Kate's will take on Hamline University in a big MIAC doubleheader on Sunday, which is set to begin at 1 and 3 p.m. at Hamline's field in St. Paul, Minnesota.