ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Macalester College softball team lost a pair of MIAC road games to 18th-ranked Saint Benedict, 9-1 and 10-4 Tuesday afternoon at the CSB Softball Field. The Scots are now 10-18 overall and 4-8 in the conference, while the Bennies improve to 20-3, 8-1 MIAC.

In the first game, Macalester surrendered three runs in the bottom of the first inning before scoring in the top of the second. Senior Mackenzie Clarke (Redwood City, Calif./Sequoia) led off with a single, and sophomore Mandy Morrical (Mount Vernon, Iowa/Mount Vernon) reached on a fielder's choice with Clarke safe at second. After junior Jessica Katzin (Chicago, Ill./Jones College Prep) bunted the runners over, Clarke came home on a wild pitch to make the score 3-1. The Bennies answered with a run in the bottom of the second, then put five runs on the board in the bottom of the fourth to lead 9-1. The Scots went down in order over the final three innings to end the game. Clarke's single was the only Macalester hit in the game, as Elly Novak struck out five in five innings to improve to 12-0 on the season.

The Scots trailed, 1-0 after one inning of Game 2 before taking their first lead of the day in the top of the third. With the bases loaded and two out, Katzin hit a grounder that was misplayed, allowing junior Regan Brodine (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny) to score. Sophomore Elsa Church (St. Louis, Mo./Kirkland) stepped up and delivered a two-run single to give Macalester a 3-1 lead. The Bennies responded in a big way with three runs in the fourth and five more in the fifth, including a grand slam be Lizzy Walker, for a 9-3 advantage.

Clarke hit an RBI double in the sixth that plated first year Sophie Futchko (Prince Frederick, Md./Huntingtown), but Saint Benedict scored a run in the bottom of the sixth to make the score 10-4. In the top of the seventh, the Scots loaded the bases on a single by Church, a double from senior Emily Bergin (Houston, Texas/St. Thomas Episcopal) and an infield single by sophomore Emily Pedersen (Hutchinson, Minn./Hutchinson) with no advance. Two ground balls ended the threat and the game, with the Bennies closing out the sweep.

Macalester totaled 13 hits in the second game, with Church going 3-for-4 with two RBIs. Futchko, Brodine, Bergin and first year Renee Nicholson (Downers Grove, Ill./Downers Grove South) each registered two hits.

Next up for the Scots is a home MIAC doubleheader against Augsburg on Thursday, April 21. The first game starts at 4:30 p.m. at the Macalester Softball Complex.