WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota fastpitch softball team limited high-powered Hamline to just one run over the final six innings of the teams' opening game of their Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference doubleheader Saturday afternoon.
Unfortunately, the Pipers had erupted for four, first-inning runs and Saint Mary's could not generate a comeback in falling 5-1 at the Saint Mary's Field.
It was the Cardinals who would enjoy a high-scoring opening inning in the nightcap—taking advantage of three Hamline errors to score five runs and grab a 5-1 lead.
Five runs would not be enough, however, as Hamline plated seven unanswered runs in completing the sweep with an 8-5 Game 2 victory.
Hamline did not waste any time taking control in the first game, collecting four runs on four hits in its first at-bat.
The Pipers added a solo run in the top of the fifth on a Aubree Douglas infield single to push the lead to 5-0. Saint Mary's finally got on the board in the bottom of the seventh, scoring on a
Jordyn Keprios (Farmington, Minn.) single—but one run would be all the Cardinals would get.
Brittney Birkhauser (Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.) finished 2-for-4 in Game 1, with Keprios,
Ashley Betzold (Farmington, Minn.), and
Kathi Opsahl (Elk River, Minn.) accounting for the Cardinals' other three hits.
After spotting the Pipers a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning in Game 2, Saint Mary's took advantage of three Hamline miscues to score five times and grab what appeared to be a commanding 5-1 advantage.
Saint Mary's offense, however, went into hibernation, while the Pipers' bats came to life, as Hamline scored four times in the third to knot the game at 5-5, before adding two runs in the fourth and one more in the sixth to complete the sweep.
Betzold picked up two of the Cardinals' six hits in the nightcap, while Keprios, Opsahl,
Allie Borawski (Stickney, Ill.), and
Haley Vanourney (Marion, Iowa) all had one hit.
The Cardinals (2-13 MIAC, 8-23 overall) are right back in action on Sunday, hosting Augsburg in a 1 p.m. conference doubleheader at the Saint Mary's Field.
