Game 1 Box Score / Game 2 Box Score

ROSEMOUNT, Minn. — After more than a month of nothing but practice, the Saint Mary's University fastpitch softball team was chopping at the bit to get into a real game.

And they certainly got off on the right foot in their season-opening against UW-Eau Claire Friday, scoring four runs in the first two innings against the 10th-ranked team in the country.

Unfortunately for SMU, the Cardinals may have started fast, but they didn't have the all-important finishing kick, as the Blugolds scored three times in the third and once in the fourth to edge Saint Mary's 5-4 in the teams' season-opener at the Rosemount Dome.

And things didn't go any better in the second game, as SMU once again jumped out to a 4-1 lead after the first two innings, only to give up a single run in the top of the third and four runs in the sixth in completing the sweep with a 6-4 victory.

Playing in her hometown, Danielle Geske (Rosemount, Minn.) delivered the big blow for the Cardinals in the opener, belting her third career home run — a three-run, first-inning shot — to give SMU a 3-0 advantage.

Jenna Johnson (Menomonie, Wis.) added an RBI single in the second to push SMU's lead to 4-0, but the Blugolds responded with one in the bottom of the second and three more in the third to tie things at 4-4. Jill Janke then gave UW-Eau Claire the lead for good, driving in her third run of the game with an RBI double.

Jennifer Thesing (Lewiston, Minn.) led the way in the second game, driving three runs with a pair of doubles.