Game 1 Box Score / Game 2 Box Score

WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University fastpitch softball team sent an important message to all its opponents Tuesday afternoon: No matter how bad things make look, don't ever — ever — count the Cardinals out.

Having lost the first game of their nonconference doubleheader against UW-La Crosse 4-1, and on the verge of getting swept for the first time since April 2, 2001, the Cardinals scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to beat the Eagles 4-3 to earn the split.

The Eagles had handed the Cardinals a 4-1 setback in the opener as Sally Wenzel held the Cardinals to just five hits — two by junior Jackie Huegel (Alta Vista, Iowa).

And UW-L appeared to have the brooms out — thanks to Kay Kuepper's solo home run in the Eagles' two-run seventh.

But, fortunately for the Cardinals, things aren't always as they appear.

Trailing 3-1 in the bottom of the seventh, Niki Lynch (Winona, Minn.) led off the inning with a double and moved to third on a wild pitch. Annie Hovde (Cottage Grove, Minn.) walked and pinch-runner Jenny Mueller (La Crosse, Wis.) advanced to second on Amy Langer's (Savage, Minn.) RBI single to left. An infield single by Ann Munzenmaier (Urbandale, Iowa) loaded the bases, and Jennifer Miller's (Winona, Minn.) single to center scored Mueller to tie the game. Lindsay Mamer (Mankato, Minn.) led lifted a sacrifice fly to center to score Langer with the game-winning run.

The Eagles took control of the opener with a single run in the second, two in the fourth and one in the sixth, while SMU could only manage a single run in the fifth on an RBI single by Miller, who extended her season-high hitting streak to nine games with one hit in Game 1 and two hits in Game 2.