Game 1 Boxscore / Game 2 Boxscore

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Heading into their final four Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference games, the Saint Mary's University fastpitch softball team had high hopes of being one of the four teams taking part in the inaugural MIAC post-season tournament.

After all, thanks to a six-game MIAC winning streak, all the Cardinals needed to do to all but assure themselves a post-season invitation was sweep their final two conference series — Saturday against Bethel and Sunday against Macalester.

Easier said than done.

After beating the Royals 3-0 behind a second straight one-hitter by pitcher Jenny Schipp (North St. Paul, Minn.), SMU gave up four first-inning runs and never recovered in dropping the second game of its doubleheader against Bethel, 6-4.

Down, but not out, the Cardinals' playoff hopes then hinged on a sweep of Macalester — and a little help from St. Benedict in its twinbill against Gustavus. An SMU sweep, and a Blazer sweep, and SMU still had a chance.

Easier said than done.

Macalester scored three runs in the fourth and two more in the fifth in handing the Cardinals a 5-4 setback in the second game of Sunday's doubleheader, officially ending SMU's playoff run.

The Cardinals got things off on the right foot Sunday, scoring a pair of unearned runs in the first, four more in the second and two in the sixth in routing the Scots 8-1 in the opener.

Game 2, however, was another story.

SMU grabbed a 1-0 lead in the top of the first on an RBI single by Hanni Lohmann (Lake Elmo, Minn.), but Macalester grabbed the lead for good in the third, scoring three runs on three hits. The Cardinals got one run back in the top of the fifth, but Macalester responded with two in the bottom of the fifth to take a 5-2 advantage.

The Cardinals (13-9 MIAC, 21-15 overall) cut into the Scots' lead with an unearned run in the sixth, then got within one on an RBI double by Schipp, but the SMU sophomore was stranded at second when Krista Conway (Mendota Heights, Minn.) struck out.