Game 1 Boxscore / Game 2 Boxscore

WINONA, Minn — If there's one thing Saint Mary's University fastpitch softball coach Nikki Fennern is learning this season, it's that if her Cardinals are in a pinch, Jess Weisbrod (Rollingstone, Minn.) is the answer.

Clinging to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the sixth inning of the first game of their MIAC doubleheader against St. Catherine Saturday afternoon, Fennern and the Cardinals were in such a pinch.

Enter pinch hitter extraordinaire Weisbrod.

And exit any hopes the Wildcats had of a come-from-behind win.

Fresh off a game-winning, pinch hit RBI double in the bottom of the ninth inning that lifted SMU to a 5-4 Game 2 victory over UW-River Falls last Thursday, Weisbrod delivered again Saturday, belting a leadoff double off the right-center field fence to spark SMU's two-run inning and propel the Cardinals to a 3-1 victory.

"Jess has been a clutch performer for us," said Fennern, whose team didn't need any pinch-hit heroics in Game 2, as the Cardinals erupted for five runs in the third inning en route to an 8-1 win and a conference sweep. "(Weisbrod's) been called on to come through in two straight pressure situations and she's delivered both times."

But the SMU freshman didn't do it alone — and that's what was most pleasing to Fennern.

"We had a lot of people do a lot of things to help us win," said Fennern, whose team has now won four straight after dropping a pair to defending national champion St. Thomas to start the week. "That's my biggest luxury right now as a coach — depth. We're able to use a lot of people in different situations and everyone's coming through when we need them."

The Cardinals jumped out ot a 1-0 lead in the second inning of the opener as Melissa Mondo (Vadnais Heights, Minn.) led off with a single, was sacrificed to second and scored on an infield single by Jenny Schipp (North St. Paul, Minn.).

Still nursing that 1-0 lead in the sixth, Weisbrod led off with a double, moved to second on an error and scored on Regan Cahanes' (Woodbury, Minn.) second sacrifice bunt of the game. Jenny Giannini (River Grove, Ill.) then made it 3-0 with a sacrifice fly to right.

Schipp lost her bid for a complete-game shutout in the top of the seventh when Angie Johnson drilled a solo home run. Schipp scattered six hits, while walking three and striking out five in recording her eighth win of the season.

SMU left little doubt in the nightcap, scoring twice in the second inning and adding five more in the third. Cahanes came up with the big blow in the third, lacing a two-run double off the fence in right-center.

Johnson got the Wildcats on the board with her second solo home run of the game in the top of the fourth, but an RBI single by Amy Edge (Montfort, Wis.) pushed SMU's lead back to seven, 8-1.

"This was a big sweep for us," said Fennern. "We did a much better job of being aggressive — both at the plate and in the field. We didn't play well (last Wednesday vs. St. Thomas), but we got ourselves back on track (last Thursday with a sweep of River Falls) and we picked up where we left off today.

"We've gotten ourselves into a nice rhythm, and, hopefully, we can keep that going."