WINONA, Minn. -- The St. Catherine University softball team dropped a pair of Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) games on Friday afternoon against Saint Mary's University in Winona. The conference season opener doubleheader loss puts the Wildcats record at 6-12 overall.
GAME ONE | Saint Mary's 8, St. Catherine 0 (5 innings)
In the first inning, after
Taylor Brunn lined out to third base, Helen McKinn's single through the right side set the stage. Kaitlin Boyle's pop-up and
Annabelle Cook's fielder's choice ended the inning with no runs for either team. Saint Mary's took the lead in the bottom of the first. Makayla Steffes grounded out, but then Ali French walked. Peyton Berg's homer brought in two runs before Heather Nord grounded out, ending the inning with Saint Mary's leading 2-0. In the top of the second, St. Kate's couldn't capitalize, with a flyout, a pop-up, and a lineout leaving them scoreless. The bottom of the second saw Saint Mary's extend their lead. Megan McGinn's single and a walk to Lizzie Pike set the stage for Emily Bonk's RBI single and Steffes's RBI single, making it 4-0. Despite a double play ending the inning, Saint Mary's had added two more runs. St. Catherine tried to rally in the top of the third, with two singles, but couldn't bring any runs home, ending the inning still trailing 4-0.
In the bottom of the third, despite a single and a stolen base by Amanda Tesch, Saint Mary's couldn't add to their lead, ending the inning still up by four runs. The top of the fourth saw St. Catherine getting two on base but failing to score, leaving the score unchanged. Saint Mary's exploded in the bottom of the fourth, with McGinn's double, followed by Emily Bonk's two-run homer. Breonna Meth's single brought in another run, and Peyton Berg's single added another RBI, making it 8-0 Saint Mary's by the end of the inning. In the top of the fifth, St. Catherine managed to get two on base again, but couldn't convert, leaving the score at 8-0 as the game concluded.
GAME TWO | Saint Mary's 5, St. Catherine 4
Game two opened with Brunn singling to shortstop, but a fielder's choice and an error prevented the Wildcats from capitalizing. The Cardinals couldn't break the deadlock in the bottom of the first, with three consecutive outs. In the top of the second, St. Kate's threatened with a walk, but a sacrifice bunt and two outs left them scoreless.
Saint Mary's again failed to score in the bottom of the second despite two hits. In the top of the third, McKinnon doubled, but they couldn't bring her home, leaving the score unchanged. Saint Mary's missed a scoring opportunity in the bottom of the third, despite a double and an error. In the top of the fourth, St. Kate's had two hits but couldn't convert, maintaining the score at 0-0.
Saint Mary's couldn't capitalize on an error in the bottom of the fourth, leaving another runner stranded. In the top of the fifth, St. Catherine still couldn't get on the board, leaving the game scoreless. In the bottom of the fifth, Saint Mary's finally broke through with two runs, courtesy of Bonk's double. The top of the sixth saw St. Catherine finally score four runs, capitalizing on errors and timely hits to take the lead. However, in the bottom of the sixth, Saint Mary's responded with five runs of their own, reclaiming the lead. In the top of the seventh, St. Catherine mounted a late rally, scoring four runs to narrow the gap, but ultimately fell short, with Saint Mary's emerging victorious, 5-4.
The Wildcats will appear at home for the first time this season on Wednesday, April 3 hosting the College of St. Scholastica with the doublheader starting at 3:30 pm.
