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Saint Mary's Cardinals
10-10 MIAC / 18-16 Overall
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St. Thomas Tommies
18-2 MIAC / 34-4 Overall |
Last Action: The Cardinals came up empty in their nonconference doubleheader against defending NCAA Division III national champion UW-Eau Claire Thursday, as the Blugolds bounced SMU
12-1 and
9-1 at the SMU Field. … The Tommies, meanwhile, locked up a top-two seed in the upcoming Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament Wednesday, banging out a combined 36 hits — including a 6-for-7 performance from Allison Wright — in taking two from St. Catherine,
12-0 and
9-1.
Last Meeting: The Cardinals left Cotter Field as another notch in the Tommies' belt a year ago, as five-time MIAC regular-season champion St. Thomas used two big innings in each game to hand SMU
5-0 and
15-2 setbacks — extending UST's winning streaks to 22 straight this year, 54 straight against conference opponents and 17 in a row against the Cardinals.
Saint Mary’s Cardinal Notes: The Cardinals’ slim Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament hopes are still alive heading into today’s conference finale against St. Thomas — but just barely. The Cardinals improved to 10-10 in the MIAC with their two wins vs. Macalester on Wednesday, but still trail fourth-place Bethel (10-6) by four games in the loss column heading into the final conference games. SMU must sweep the Tommies on Saturday, then have the Royals lose at least five of their last six — while fifth-place St. Catherine must lose three of its last four — to earn a spot in the four-team tournament. … SMU was held to five singles by five different players in its Game 1 loss to UW-Eau Claire Thursday, while
Katy Gannon (Roselle, Ill.) highlighted the Cardinals’ five-hit Game 2 attack, going 2-for-2 with a double. She also drove in SMU’s lone run. …
Cassie Otte (Randolph, Minn.),
Nicole Olson (New Brighton, Minn.) and Gannon — SMU’s No. 1, 2 and 3 hitters in the lineup — all picked up three hits in SMU’s Game 1 win over Macalester on Wednesday, with Olson adding three RBIs, while
Danielle Geske (Rosemount, Minn.) drove in two runs. … Otte added a 3-for-4 performance — including a pair of hits in SMU’s six-run fifth inning — in the nightcap vs. Macalester. … Otte, who had just one four-hit game in her first three seasons as a Cardinal — a 4-for-5 effort vs. UW-Stout on March 24, 2007, put together a pair of 4-for-4 performances last week — going 4-for-4 with a pair of RBIs and two runs scored vs. Augsburg last Thursday, while also going 4-for-4 with two runs scored vs. St. Catherine on Saturday. … Otte now boasts a team-best 20 multiple-hit games this season. … Otte also leads the team in average (.480), at-bats (127), runs (36), hits (61), total bases (64) and stolen bases (21). … Fifty-nine of Otte’s 61 hits have been singles. … Gannon is the team’s RBI leader (31), while also leading the team in home runs (4) and slugging percentage (.528). Gannon also boasts a team-best 11 extra-base hits and seven multiple-RBI games — including a career-best five RBIs during a 3-for-3 showing against Mount Mary on March 20. … Gannon was held hitless in Game 1 vs. Saint Benedict on April 4, snapping her season-, team- and career-high 14-game hitting streak. …
Mallory Betzold (Farmington, Minn.) and
Madeline Salmon (Woodbury, Minn.) combined on a five-hitter in the opener vs. Macalester Wednesday, while
Jaci Prondzinski (Ettrick, Wis.) tossed a five-inning four-hitter in Game 2. … SMU’s pitching staff enters today’s DH boasting a 3.51 earned-run-average. … Betzold has thrown a team-leading 128.1 innings, posting a 3.76 earned-run-average and an 11-11 record, while also striking out a team-best 57. … SMU’s 7-0, 8-0 wins vs. Macalester marked the first time this season the Cardinals have swept a doubleheader by shutout. … SMU was held to its two lowest hit totals of the season last week, managing just one in Sunday’s Game 2 loss to Gustavus, while finishing with just two hits in a 5-1 Game 2 loss to Augsburg last Thursday. … SMU’s 7-2, Game 1 loss vs. Concordia on April 11 was the Cardinals’ first extra-inning game of the season and the longest extra-inning game since the 2006 season, when SMU played two nine-inning games, one 10-inning contest and one 11-inning marathon. … The Cobbers’ seven runs in Game 2 on April 11 marked the most allowed by SMU in a win since the Cardinals beat Buena Vista 17-9 on March 8, 2008. … The Cardinals have outscored their first 34 opponents 222-128 — including 38-16 in the second inning and 26-13 in the fourth. SMU has given up 31 runs combined from the sixth inning on. … SMU’s Game 1 loss vs. UW-Eau Claire marked the first time this season the Cardinals have lost when scoring in the first inning (11-1). … Eight of SMU’s 18 wins have come via shutout, while the Cardinals are 14-0 when holding their opponent to two runs or less … On the flip side, SMU has been held under three runs in 12 of its 16 losses.
St. Thomas Tommie Notes: No. 8-ranked St. Thomas recently secured its 13th consecutive 30-win season, and has surpassed 300 runs for the sixth year in a row. … A Saturday sweep of Saint Mary's would allow the Tommies to reach 20 regular-season MIAC victories for the 10th year in a row. … The Tommies have secured a top-two seed for the MIAC playoffs, and are 15-0 all-time in the event with five postseason championships. But the Toms (18-2 MIAC) likely will see their five-year run as MIAC champion end unless Gustavus (19-1 MIAC) stumbles vs. St. Catherine on Saturday. … In nine seasons under Coach John Tschida, St. Thomas softball is 176-8 in April games. … The Tommies are 1-3 this season when they allow a grand slam or three-run homer, and 31-1 in all other games. They have led in 32 of 34 games this season, and have just three losses to NCAA Division III teams, including splits with Gustavus and Saint Benedict and an extra-inning loss to No. 3-ranked Linfield. … St. Thomas is batting .408 as a team with eight starters at .370 or better. … All-American Alison Wright has 63 hits in 38 games and is chasing the MIAC single-season record of 80 set by Carrie Embree in 52 games in 2006. Wright also has 46 RBIs and seven home runs. Wright had a 34-game hitting streak end in April -- the third longest in Divisoin III history, including hits in her first 23 games of 2009. She has 60 multi-hit games in her three seasons, and her 184 overall hits in 129 games has her on pace to pass Michelle Wong's conference career hits record of 239. … Steph Moores has 44 RBIs in 42 games. … Missy Bruggeman leads the team in batting at .522, while All-American Kaitlyn Wightman has scored a team-best 52 runs in 42 games. … In all, the Tommies' 25-player roster includes nine seniors, including seven who start or share a No. 1 job. In their era, St. Thomas softball is 166-17 overall, including a 92-3 record vs. conference opponents. … St. Thomas is 40-1 at home since April 2005 and also has a 33-game win streak in the Rosemount Dome.