ST. PAUL, MINN. – They say revenge is bittersweet, but for the St. Catherine University softball team, revenge was a bit more on the sweet side Thursday afternoon. After two disappointing losses to the College of Saint Benedict on Tuesday, the Wildcats drew the No. 3 seed in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Playoffs, meaning they had to host Carleton College, a team St. Kate's lost to earlier in the season, in a play-in game Thursday afternoon. Fortunately, the Wildcats were able to avenge their loss, as Amber Montero (Circle Pines, Minn. / Centennial) and Krista Flugstad (Bloomington, Minn. / Jefferson) guided St. Kate's to a 1-0 victory over Carleton.
 
The victory was certainly hard fought and well deserved by the Wildcats, as they faced an unfamiliar pitcher in the opening round of the tournament. Rather than pitch ace Sam Kile, the Knights head coach Amy Erickson opted to start Sarah Ogle in the must-win playoff game. For four innings of play, Ogle kept the red-hot St. Kate's offense at bay. In fact, the Wildcats only tallied four hits in the game, including two in the second inning by Ashley Sis (Brooklyn Park, Minn. / Osseo) and Montero. However, neither runner was brought around to score, ending St. Kate's first scoring opportunity of the ball game.
 
After the second inning, the Wildcats were held at bay in the third, and it wasn't until the fourth when they finally managed to break through. With two outs in the bottom of the inning, Montero hit a shot over the left-center fence to give St. Kate's the 1-0 lead. It turns out, the one run was all Flugstad needed to earn her 15^th victory of the season. The senior ace rebounded from the Saint Ben's losses with a complete game shutout, surrendering just three hits and two walks while striking out five to help the Wildcats clinch the 1-0 win.
 
With the victory, St. Kate's overall record improves to 25-11 and the team advances to the MIAC Quarterfinal round, hosted at the University of St. Thomas. The Wildcats will once again have a chance to avenge a much more recent loss, as they will take on the No. 2 seed College of Saint Benedict at 5 p.m. at St. Thomas' South Field. Tickets are $8 for adults and $3 for student and MIAC passes will be accepted at the gate.