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ST. PAUL, Minn. — For the third time this season — and the second time in the last three days — the Saint Mary’s University fastpitch softball team squared off against a nationally ranked team when the Cardinals took the field for Saturday’s Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference doubleheader against eighth-ranked St. Thomas.
And, unfortunately for SMU, the third time was no charm, as the Tommies threw back-to-back shutouts at the Cardinals, rolling to 7-0 and 8-0 wins in the teams’ conference finale.
“We just weren’t able to get the bats going,” said SMU coach Jen Miller, whose team was officially eliminated from the MIAC Tournament race with the Game 1 loss. “St. Thomas is a very good team — no doubt one of the best in the country — and they played very well against us.
“But it doesn’t really matter who you play, if you can’t string some hits together, you aren’t going to beat anyone.”
The Cardinals, who scored just two runs in dropping back-to-back decisions to defending NCAA Division III national champion UW-Eau Claire — currently ranked No. 18 in the latest NFCA Top 25 — on Thursday, were no match for the UST pitching staff Saturday, as five Tommie hurlers combined to hold SMU to a combined five hits in the two games in running their winning streak vs. Saint Mary’s to 19 straight.
The Tommies scored a single run in the first, then added two in the third, three in the fourth and one in the fifth in the opener. UST banged out 12 hits vs. SMU starter
Mallory Betzold (Farmington, Minn.), while the Cardinals managed just four hits — all singles, and all from different players.
SMU’s four Game 1 hits were three more than they could muster in the nightcap, as a lead-off, pinch-hit double by
Hanna Schmitt (Rosemount, Minn.) to open the fourth was the only hit allowed by UST starter Christy Gries and two relievers.
“It’s a tough way to end the (conference) schedule,” said Miller, whose team closes out its season with a pair of nonconference doubleheaders — Sunday at UW-La Crosse and Tuesday at home against UW-River Falls. “Everyone’s a little down right now We had high hopes of getting into the (MIAC) tournament when the season started and we weren’t able to a come through. Hopefully we can regroup and close out the season on a high note.”