Game 1 Boxscore / Game 2 Boxscore

LA CROSSE, Wis. — Saint Mary's University fastpitch softball coach Nikki Fennern hates to lose as much as any other coach. But if there ever was a good time for her Cardinals to lose, Thursday was as good as any.

After all, SMU's Game 1 nonconference loss to UW-La Crosse may have snapped SMU's 13-game winning streak — but it had absolutely no affect on the Cardinals' bid for a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title or a berth in the MIAC's postseason tournament.

And that's what matters most.

"You always hate to lose, but I guess this is one I can live with," said Fennern, whose team opened the day with a 1-0 win of its own against the Eagles — getting an unearned run in the top of the fifth inning in extending their winning streak to 13 in a row. "Our focus is on winning the conference (title) and making it to the (MIAC) tournament. Fortunately, these games didn't hurt us any in that regard."

But the Game 2 loss still hurt just the same.

"We did not hit the ball well at all," said Fennern, whose team managed just 12 hits in the doubleheader — five in the Game 1 win and seven in the Game 2 loss. "It was one of those days where we just couldn't get our offense going."

SMU scored the first game's lone run in the fifth, when Mandy Tschernach (Rice Lake, Wis.) led off with the first of her two singles, moved to second on a sacrifice and scored on a UW-L fielding error.

Jenny Schipp (North St. Paul, Minn.) improved to 13-4 overall, tossing her seventh complete-game win, allowing four hits and striking out one.

Megan Wallisch (Loveland, Colo.) was equally as impressive in Game 2, as the SMU freshman matched Schipp pitch-for-pitch, giving up four hits and striking out three.

Unfortunately, the glaring difference between Schipp's complete-game effort and Wallisch's was a bases-loaded, fifth-inning walk that plated UW-L's lone run.

"Our pitchers were outstanding," said Fennern, whose team returns to MIAC play on Saturday, traveling to Augsburg for a conference doubleheader. "They both pitched great games. Megan ran into a little trouble in one inning (giving up three of her four hits and that bases-loaded walk), but other than that, you couldn't ask any more of either of them.

"We just didn't hit the ball the way we are capable of, it's that simple."