MANKATO, Minn. (Feb. 24, 2024) - Following a week off of competition, the Buena Vista softball team returned to the diamond on Saturday evening and split a pair of games. The team dropped its opener, 9-4, against St. Catherine's before wrapping up the night with a 5-1 victory over the College of St. Scholastica.

St. Catherine's scored a run in the first and added four more in the third and one in the fourth to take control with a 6-0 lead. The Beavers did rally back with four runs of their own in the fifth, including a two-run double from Madalyn Elwood followed by a two-run blast off the bat of Nikki Griggs. St. Catherine's later put the game out of reach with three insurance runs in the ninth.

Freshman Jillian Garcia set a career-high with three hits to lead the way for the Beavers while Paige Druskis followed next in the line-up with two hits, as did Elwood and Rylie Garner.

Keirsten Trayte suffered the loss for BVU inside the circle and is now 0-2 on the year. She lasted 2.1 innings, allowed four runs (three earned) on six hits.

In the finale against St. Scholastica, the Beavers scored a run in each of the first two innings before tacking on three more in the fifth. Senior Nattie Murillo got the scoring started for BVU with a run-scoring double in the first inning before Elwood added an RBI double of her own in the fifth.

St. Scholastica scored its lone run in the bottom of the seventh inning on a sacrifice fly.

Amanda Franke was 2-for-3 with a triple to help lead the Beavers while four other players tallied one hit. Garcia scored a team-leading two runs and was also hit by a pitch.

Kennedi Claycomb improved to 2-1 on the mound this season after her complete-game performance. She scattered eight hits, walked only one and struck out a career-high eighth batters.

Buena Vista now sits at 3-5 overall and is right back to action on Sunday for games against Gustavus Adolphus (10:30 a.m.) and Hamline University (3:30 p.m.).