SAINT PETER, Minn. – The Gustavus softball team hosted No. 19 St. Benedict on Sunday and dropped the contests by scores of 15-0 (5 inn.) and 4-0 (7 inn.). The Gusties now sit at 7-7 overall and 2-4 in the conference.
The Bennies, who swept Carleton on Saturday, continued their solid play outhitting the Gusties in game one by a margin of 15-0.
St. Benedict was able to plate six runs in the first inning to take the early lead and then tack on two more in the fourth and exploded with seven more points in the fifth to reach the run limit before ending the contest.
The Bennies had 10 different players record hits in game one while Allie Skuza (So., Princeton) got the lone Gustie hit.
Amara Packey (Jr., Fridley) spent most of the game on the mound, going 4.1 innings and allowing seven earned runs.
In game two the Bennies were able to take advantage of their opportunities early to put the Gusties away. They took a 2-0 lead after the first and added two more runs in the second. But that is all Piper Otto (Fy., Brooklyn Park) would allow with six strikeouts in her 7.0 innings pitched to keep Saint Ben’s to a 4-0 finish in the second game.
“The biggest thing we struggled with this whole weekend was just playing clean softball,” said Head Coach Coley Ries. “That comes down to mental mistakes as well. We were able to clean those up in the second game and Piper threw a really great game against a very strong offensive team. She kept us in it and gave us a chance. Bethel and Saint Ben’s are two tough opponents so we knew it was going to be a good indicator of where we’re at and what we’re made of. Now we head back to the drawing board to figure out how to score runs and make the most of our opportunities.”
The Gusties will next be in action on Thursday when they travel to St. Kate’s for a doubleheader beginning at 3:30.