Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 The Benedictine University softball team played the first two games of its Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference schedule this season, traveling to Madison, Wisconsin to take on Edgewood College. BenU took down Edgewood in both games, taking game one 5-0 and game two 10-1.

GAME ONE

Behind the arm of Holly Haberkorn, Benedictine shut out Edgewood and propelled to a five-run victory. The sophomore tossed a complete game, pitching a shoutout with just five hits allowed and no walks with three strikeouts.

All of the offense Haberkorn would need came during the game's second at-bat, as second baseman Chelsea White hit her second home run of the season to left-center to take an early 1-0 lead. 

The game was a classic pitcher's duel until the six, when the Eagles tacked on three runs. Haberkorn helped her cause in the circle with a two-run double down the left field line, knocking in White and Sarah Koch. Two batters later, first baseman Courtney Grasz singled up the middle to knock in pinch runner Jenna Boyajian to build the lead to 4-0. The Eagles scored an additional insurance run in the seventh on a Koch fielder's choice.

Grasz went a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate and raised her team-leading batting average. White, Koch, and Haberkorn all contributed two hits apiece, as Benedictine totaled 12 hits on the day.

GAME TWO

For the second game in a row, BenU struck early, plating a run in the first inning on a Kailee Cable RBI groundout. The offense was quiet until the fourth, when White would drive in her second run of the day on a single. Edgewood would allow a run to score on an error to give BenU the 3-0 lead.

Benedictine had its biggest inning of the day in the fifth, as five runs crossed the plate in the frame's first five hitters. Koch led things off with a double to center, and after a Cable single, Haberkorn singled to drive in Koch. Grasz then singled to load the bases, setting up a grand slam from Melissa Stoch to give BenU an 8-0 lead. 

Stoch was not done after the grand slam. After Edgewood plated a run in the bottom of the fifth, Stoch singled home a run in the sixth. BenU would also score on an error to set up the eventual 10-1 final.

In the circle, Melissa Guzior (4.2 innings, one run, five hits allowed) and Eryn Pondo (1.1 innings, one hit allowed) combined to stifle the Edgewood offense. Stoch led BenU with three hits and five RBI at the dish, while Cable tallied three hits of her own. Benedictine recorded 14 hits in total.

Benedictine is back in action tomorrow at 3:00 p.m. as the team will travel to Rockford University for another NACC twinbill.