ST. PAUL, Minn. — In there last two games, 15-5 and 4-1 victories over Augsburg, the Saint Mary's University fastpitch softball team had to rely on the big inning — a nine-run sixth in Game 1 and a four-run seventh in Game 2.
The Cardinals got the wins, but it wasn't easy.
And, unfortunately for SMU coach
Jen Miller, it was more of the same in Game 1 Wednesday afternoon.
For the second straight game, the Cardinals found themselves staring at a four-run deficit late in the game, as Macalester erupted for five fourth-inning runs to take a 5-1 advantage. As has been their style of late, however, the Cardinals battled back, scoring three times in the fifth and once in the sixth to knot the game at 5-5 heading into the seventh.
And what a seventh it proved to be, as SMU erupted for eight runs en route to a 13-5 Game 1 victory.
Once their bats warmed up, there was no stopping the Cardinals, either, as SMU scored in all five innings of Game 2 in cruising to a 17-1 victory.
"I'm too young to get grey hair, but any more games like that first one …," said SMU coach
Jen Miller. "I don't know what the deal is, it just seems to take us a while to get our offense going. About the only positives in games like that is that we are proving that we can handle a little adversity — and that we have what it takes to dig out way out of some pretty big holes."
It doesn't hurt when Miller has such an explosive arsenal at her disposal.
In the two games vs. the Scots, SMU scored its 30 runs on 34 hits, led by
Nikki Jung (Inver Grove Heights, Minn.), who went 7-for-8 with eight RBIs.
And she wasn't alone.
Megan Pulvermacher (Richland Center, Wis.) belted her first collegiate home runs as part of a 6-for-8, 6 RBI afternoon, while
Jenny Giannini (River Grove, Ill.) was 4-for-5 with two doubles and five RBIs, and
Cassie Otte (Randolph, Minn.) was 5-for-8 with four runs scored.
"It was nice to see our offense break out like it did, but we've got to stop waiting so long," said Miller, whose team has now won six straight. "I've said all season that every game in this conference is going to be a battle — and our last two doubleheaders are proof of that. Augsburg and Macalester don't have the most impressive records, but they both took us to the limit.
"We can't afford to keep relying on late-game heroics to bail us out — we've got to be at the top of our game from the very first pitch."
