ORANGE, Calif. — It took the Saint Mary's University fastpitch team's bats a game to get thawed out, but once the Cardinals got into the swing of things, it was all smiles for coach
Jen Miller.
After managing just four hits — all singles — in a season-opening 5-0 loss to Kenyon (Ohio), the Cardinals erupted for 12 hits, including a double and a pair of home runs, en route to a 9-1, six-inning triumph over Hastings (Neb.) Thursday afternoon in the opening day of the Sun West Tournament.
“We had some first-game jitters (against Kenyon),” said Miller. “But once we settled down, I thought we swung the bats very well.
“It was a good first day,” Miller added. “We needed to work the kinks out a bit (in the first game) and then seemed to put everything together (against Hastings).”
Along with the 12 hits — which included a two-run home run by
Paige Carter (Rosemount, Minn.) in the fourth and a three-run, sixth-inning shot by
Kellie Simons (Richfield, Minn.), SMU also got a complete-game five-hitter from pitcher
Jaci Prondzinski (Ettrick, Wis.)
Prondzinski walked one and struck out one, while allowing just a single run in the third inning. By that time, however, the Cardinals had already plated a pair of runs — the first on an RBI single by Hanna Schmitt (Rosemount, Minn.) in the first and the other on an RBI single by Katy Gannon (Roselle, Ill.) in the second.
SMU would pad its lead to 6-1 with a four-run fourth, highlighted by Carter's first collegiate home run — a two-run shot to left — before ending the contest in the sixth when Simons drilled her first of the season, a three-run bomb to right center.
“It was good to see us bounce back the way we did,” said Miller, whose Cardinals surrendered single runs in the first, second, fifth, sixth and seventh in falling to Kenyon in the opener. “Hopefully we can keep the momentum rolling (Friday).”
The Cardinals (1-1) overall, get another shot at Kenyon on Friday at 4 p.m. (CST), after kicking off the day with a 2 p.m. (CST) contest against the University of Puget Sound.
