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WINONA, Minn. — Carleton may have scored early, but the Saint Mary's University fastpitch softball team scored often.

The Knights scored in the top of the first inning in each game of their Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference against the Cardinals Sunday afternoon at the SMU Field.

That, however, would be the lone highlight for the Knights, as the Cardinals didn't let that early 1-0 deficit faze them, putting together back-to-back 10-run, 13-hit performances in sweeping Carleton 10-1 and 10-1 in the conference opener for both teams.

“It was a good start to the (conference) season,” said SMU coach Jen Miller, whose team not only opened the MIAC season with two wins, but also improved to 10-4 overall. “We swung the bats well, which was good to see, but we've still got to clean things up a bit — we were a little sloppy in some areas.

“But overall, it was definitely nice to get those first two conference wins under our belts.”

The Knights scored an unearned run in the top of the first in the opener, and held that one-run advantage until the third, when SMU sent 11 batters to the plate, scoring eight times — four on the first collegiate grand slam home run by Kellie Simons (Richfield, Minn.) — to put the game out of reach. SMU would added two more runs in the bottom of the fourth, with Simons driving in one of the two to complete a perfect 3-for-3, 5-RBI performance.

Game 2 was a mirror image of the opener, as Carleton again jumped out to a 1-0 first-inning lead. This time, however, SMU didn't wait to third to regain the lead, as the Cardinals scored four times in the bottom of the first, then iced the sweep with a six-run fourth.

Hanna Schmitt (Rosemount, Minn.) carried the big stick for SMU in the nightcap, going 2-for-3 with a double and three RBIs, while Cassie Otte (Randolph, Minn.) posted her second-straight 3-for-4 performance. Danielle Geske (Rosemount, Minn.) — who was 3-for-4 with a double in the opener — and Mallory Betzold (Farmington, Minn.) each added two Game 2 hits.

“It's always nice to start your conference season on a winning note, and it was even nicer to be able to do it on our own field this year,” said Miller, whose Cardinals did not play a home game a year ago due to the renovation of the SMU Field. “Playing at home, in front of our fans, it's just a great atmosphere — and today, we were able to give the fans plenty to cheer about.”