ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Macalester College softball team managed just four runs and seven hits in a pair of losses to 25th-ranked Saint Benedict in a MIAC doubleheader Monday afternoon at the Macalester Softball Complex. The Scots are now 6-10 in the conference and overall, while the Bennies are now 23-5, 15-3 MIAC.

In the first game, Macalester was limited to singles from senior Kate Lawhead (Battle Ground, Wash./Prairie) and first year Jessica Katzin (Chicago, Ill./Jones College Prep), and a double from senior Audrey Meade (Cedar Hills, Utah/Pleasant Grove), as Saint Benedict cruised to a 10-0 win. The Scots advanced runners to second and third with one out in the bottom of the second inning, but back-to-back strikeouts ended the threat. Bennies' pitcher Elly Novak earned the shutout with eight strikeouts over six innings. First year Elsa Church (St. Louis, Mo./Kirkwood) went the distance in the circle for Macalester.

In Game 2, Saint Benedict scored three runs in the first inning, then tagged on six runs in each of the next two innings for a commanding 15-0 lead. Two more in the fourth made it 17-0 Bennies. The Scots were able to score their first runs of the day in the bottom of the fifth. With the bases loaded, Katzin was hit by a pitch and sophomore Erin Franke (Chicago, Ill./Northside College Prep) drew a walk. Lawhead later hit a two-run double to plate Meade and Katzin to make the final score 17-4.

Lawhead went 3-for-3 in the second game, while junior Mackenzie Clarke (Redwood City, Calif./Sequoia) had a pair of hits.

The Scots will face Bethel on Thursday, April 29 in a MIAC doubleheader that was originally scheduled for April 7. The first game starts at 4:30 p.m. at the Macalester Softball Complex.