ST. PAUL, Minn. — After going through a stretch of 10 games in which they scored one run or less eight times, the Saint Mary's University of Minnesota fastpitch softball team's offense broke out of its mid-season slumber against Carleton last Wednesday—erupting for 15 runs in a 7-2, 8-0 sweep.
And the Cardinals had so much fun against the Knights they decided to break out the heavy lumber again Saturday against Hamline—erupting for nine runs in the opening game of their Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference doubleheader.
Unfortunately for Saint Mary's, the Pipers' lumber proved a bit heavier—especially in the seventh inning—as Hamline scored six runs in the bottom of the seventh to erase a 9-4 deficit and hand the Cardinals a heartbreaking 10-9 setback.
And the Cardinals could not recover from the Pipers' six-run Game 1 rally in the nightcap, falling to Hamline 6-2.
Saint Mary's wasted little time flexing its muscles in the opener, scoring three times in their first at-bat.
Stanzy Snyder (Johnston, Iowa) led off with a single and moved to second when
Mariah Harper (Schaumburg, Ill.) was hit by a pitch. The two were sacrificed to second and third by
Brittney Birkhauser (Wisconsin, Rapids, Wis.), and a walk to
Ashley Betzold (Farmington, Minn.) loaded the bases with one out.
Kathi Opsahl (Elk River, Minn.) plated the Cardinals' first run with a sacrifice fly, and
Allie Borawski (Stickney, Ill.) and
Kali Aldrich (Rochester, Minn.) followed with RBI singles to make it 3-0.
Hamline quickly cut the deficit to one with a pair of runs in the bottom of the first, but a four-run fourth inning—highlighted by an RBI base hit from Harper and a two-run RBI single by Betzold—pushed the Cardinals' lead to 7-2.
After giving up a solo run in the bottom of the fourth, the Cardinals made it 9-3 with one swing of the bat, as Snyder laced a two-run triple—scoring
Toni Hunsinger (Farmington, Minn.) and
Tessa Kuschke (Grant, Minn.).
Hamline whittled the Cardinal lead to five, 9-4, with a solo run in the fifth—before erupting for six runs in the bottom of the seventh to seal the come-from-behind victory.
Snyder and Betzold each collected two hits to account for four of Saint Mary's eight hits in the opener.
The Pipers picked up right where they left off in Game 2, scoring single runs in the first and second, before adding two more in the third, to grab a 4-0 advantage.
Saint Mary's would break through with a run in the fourth on a Borawski run-scoring single, but the Pipers quickly answered, putting together their second two-run inning of the game in the sixth for a 6-1 lead. Birkhauser drove in the Cardinals' second run on a groundout in the seventh, but that was as close as Saint Mary's would get.
Snyder collected her second two-hit game of the afternoon, while Opsahl also added a pair of hits, and Birkhauser and Borawski drove in the Cardinals' two runs.
Saint Mary's (7-11 MIAC, 18-16 overall) are right back in action—and right back on the road—on Sunday, traveling to Augsburg's Edor Nelson Field in Minneapolis, Minn., for an 11 a.m. MIAC doubleheader against Augsburg
