Game 1 Box Score / Game 2 Box Score

ST. JOSEPH, Minn. — It was a good news, bad news kind of day for the defending national champion Saint Mary's University fastpitch softball team Wednesday afternoon.

The bad news: The Cardinals had their 22-game winning streak snapped with a heartbreaking 1-0 loss to St. Benedict in Game 1 of the teams' Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference doubleheader.

The good news: The Cardinals (29-6 overall, 18-2 MIAC) regrouped for a 4-2 victory in the second game, and despite the first-game loss, the Cardinals remained tied for the conference's top spot — thanks to Gustavus' 1-0 victory over St. Thomas.

Laura Miller (White Bear Lake, Minn.) keyed the Cardinals' Game 2 win, belting a two-run double in the Cardinals' three-run second inning. Jill Hocking (Apple Valley, Minn.) and Gina Rizzardi (Woodbury, Minn.) opened the second with back-to-back singles and a walk to Lindsey Smith (Elma, Iowa) loaded the bases. Annie Hovde (Cottage Grove, Minn.) singled to drive in Hocking and Miller followed with her two-run double to give SMU a 3-0 advantage.

St. Benedict (15-8 overall, 13-6 MIAC) got one back in the bottom of the second and pulled to within one, 3-2, with a solo run in the sixth, but the Cardinals regained their two-run cushion in the top of the seventh on an RBI, pinch-hit double by Becky Limberg (La Crosse, Wis.).

Jennifer Gonerka (St. Paul, Minn.) picked up her 13th win of the season, tossing a complete-game seven-hitter. Six different SMU players had one hit for the Cardinals.

St. Benedict pitcher Annalisa Jordan held SMU to just four singles — two by Jackie Huegel (Alta Vista, Iowa) — in shutting out the Cardinals and snapping their winning streak in Game 1.

The Blazers scored the game's only run in the fifth inning, collecting three of their four hits off Hocking, with Ginny Sawyer's two-out RBI single proving to be the game-winner.