WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota fastpitch softball team entered Monday's Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference doubleheader against Gustavus looking to do something that hadn't been done in a long time.
Sweep the Gusties.
In fact, the Cardinals took the diamond Monday having not posted back-to-back regular-season wins over the Gusties since 2005—a span of nine years and 18 games.
Thanks to the heroics of
Ashley Betzold (Farmington, Minn.) and
Sam Borawski (Stickney, Ill.) in Game 1, and
Kathi Opsahl (Elk River, Minn.) and
Mariah Harper (Schaumburg, Ill.) in Game 2, that all changed Monday.
Borawski belted her first collegiate home run—a two-run shot in the fourth inning—while Betzold also drove in two runs, while tossing a complete-game seven-hitter in leading the Cardinals to a 4-1 victory in the opening game of the team's conference twinbill.
And with a flair for the dramatic, the Cardinals completed the sweep by getting a lead-off home run from Opsahl and a walk-off, game-winning single by Harper in the bottom of the seventh en route to a 5-4 victory.
The Cardinals—who snapped an 11-game losing streak against the Gusties with their 4-1 triumph in the opener—jumped out to a 1-0 third-inning lead in Game 1 on a run-scoring double by Betzold, before adding a pair of runs in the fourth on Borawski's two-run and another on Betzold's RBI ground-out in the fifth.
Gustavus got a run back in the top of the sixth, but that was the only run the Gusties would score against Betzold, who set GAC down in order in the seventh to seal the 4-1 victory.
Opsahl and
Alex Raske (Chicago, Ill.) each had two hits for the Cardinals, while Betzold,
Sam Borawski,
Stanzy Snyder (Johnston, Iowa),
Allie Borawski (Stickney, Ill.), and
Kali Aldrich (Rochester, Minn.) accounted for Saint Mary's other five hits.
The Cardinals would pick up right where they left off the nightcap, scoring a solo run in the bottom of the first on a
Brittney Birkhauser (Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.) RBI single.
Gustavus finally broke through with three runs in the fourth to grab its first lead of the afternoon, 3-1.
Allie Borawski and pinch-hitter
Katie Krull (Rochester, Minn.) made it a 3-3 game with run-scoring singles in the fifth.
The score would remain deadlocked until the seventh—and what a seventh it was.
The Gusties got a pair of one-out singles from Paige Breneman and Hannah Heacox off Cardinal reliever
Katie Homan (North Mankato, Minn.), and, after both advanced to second and third on a passed ball, Brennan scored on a sacrifice fly to left by Addy Nelsen.
The lead, however, did not last long, as Opsahl opened the bottom of the seventh with a home run—her first of the season—to knot the game at 4-4.
And the Cardinals were not done, as Harper delivered the game-winner on a single up the middle that scored Birkhauser—who had laced a one-out single, moved to second and a
Sam Borawski single and advanced to third on a fielder's choice groundout by Aldrich.
Allie Borawski fueled the Cardinals' 12-hit Game 2 offensive attack, going 3-for-4, while Snyder and Birkhauser each added a pair of hits.
Abbey Killian (Fountain City, Wis.) earned the pitching win—her first as a Cardinal—throwing 1 1/3 innings of no-hit relief.
The Cardinals (4-2 MIAC, 10-8 overall) are back in action on Wednesday, traveling to St. Paul, Minn., for a 3:30 p.m. conference doubleheader against defending conference champion St. Thomas.
