TUCSON, Ariz. – Washington University in St. Louis rallied to force extra inning with a big seventh inning, but the College of Saint Benedict softball team responded with a rally of its own Friday afternoon.
Wash U erased a five-run deficit to tie the game at 7-7 in the top of the seventh inning, but in the bottom of the eighth CSB loaded the bases and
Grace Gilmore hit a walk-off bases-clearing double to lift the Bennies to a 10-9 win over the Bears.
The win wrapped up a 1-1 day for CSB on its first day of action Arizona. The Bennies started the day with a 6-2 loss to Emory, the 2019 national runner-up. After the eight-inning win to end the day, CSB is 6-5 overall with five games left to play in Arizona.
Saint Benedict led 7-2 heading into the seventh inning Friday in its game against Wash U. But with two outs, the Bears (4-2) used two walks, a wild pitch, a passed ball, a hit by pitch and two CSB errors to score five runs and force the Bennies to bat in the bottom of the inning.
Ella Eibensteiner walked and
Olivia McCabe singled to get to runners on, but a double play ended the inning and sent the game to extras.
The Bears added two more runs – both unearned – to their total in the top of the eighth thanks to a bair of CSB errors and a single, but CSB wasn't done yet. A runner was placed on second to start the inning due to the international rule, and a pair of walks loaded the bases. Gilmore ended the game with a bases-clearing double to lift the Bennies to the win.
CSB used several big hits to get ahead early in the game. McCabe kicked off the game with a solo homer, and
Hannah Sundem – who hit for the cycle against Wash U – added an RBI double in the first. She hit an RBI triple and
Sheridan Glashan had an RBI single as part of a four-run fourth, and Sundem – who singled in the third – hit a solo homer of her own in the sixth to put CSB up 7-2 before the wild final innings.
Sundem went 4-for-4 with three RBIs to lead CSB, which had 10 hits. McCabe added two hits and Gilmore finished with three RBIs. Gilmore also picked up the win on the mound after giving up two runs – neither earned – on one hit with two strikeouts in 1.1 innings of work.
Elly Novak threw the first 6.2 innings and gave up seven runs (four earned) with a career-high 11 strikeouts.
In the first game of the day, CSB failed to get anyone past second base until the sixth inning, and then it was too little, too late.
Kendra Swanson doubled to start the game, but that was the Bennies' last hit until McCabe hit a two-run homer in the top of the sixth to make it 4-2.
Alex Smith doubled in the seventh, but that's as far as she got. The Eagles had scored twice in the third, twice in the fifth and added two runs to their total thanks to three straight hits and an RBI groundout in the bottom of the sixth.
Swanson finished with two of CSB's five hits and McCabe had two RBIs.
Ally Hjort threw all six innings and gave up six runs, four earned, on six hits with five strikeouts.
CSB is back in action Saturday, March 7, when it takes on Berry and No. 3 Linfield in a pair of night games in Tucson.
