DECORAH, Iowa — The Saint Mary's University fastpitch softball team steps out of conference play on Sunday, traveling to Luther for a 2 p.m. nonconference doubleheader against the 11th-ranked Norse.





The Matchup:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (12-8 Overall) vs.
Luther Norse (20-4 Overall)

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Live Stats

Last Action:
The Cardinals are coming off a pair of MIAC losses at Bethel on Saturday. SMU fell 4-1 in the opener, then dropped a 7-4 decision in the nightcap in Arden Hills, Minn. … Luther, meanwhile, picked up a pair of road wins on Saturday, traveling to Storm Lake, Iowa, to sweep Buena Vista 2-0 and 5-1.

Last Meeting — April 18, 2010:
Luther pitchers held the Cardinals to just three hits — two in the opener and one in the nightcap — as Luther handed SMU 8-0 and 2-0 setbacks at the SMU Field.

Up Next:
The Cardinals are back in conference play — and back on the road — on Wednesday, as SMU heads to Minneapolis, Minn., for a 4 p.m. MIAC doubleheader against Augsburg. … Luther, meanwhile, returns to IIAC play on Wednesday, hosting Wartburg in a 3 p.m. doubleheader in Decorah, Iowa.

Saint Mary's Cardinals Around The Horn:
2011 Schedule | 2011 Roster | 2011 Overall Statistics
Saturday's 4-1 Game 1 loss to Bethel snapped the Cardinals' four-game winning streak. … Katy Gannon (Roselle, Ill.) had her home run streak snapped at four straight with an 0-for-3 showing in Game 1 vs. the Royals, but the Cardinal senior promptly delivered her fifth home run in six games in the nightcap. … In her last five games, Gannon belted a game-winning HR in SMU's 1-0 win over St. Olaf last Tuesday, and followed that up with a three-run, sixth-inning shot in Game 2 vs. the Oles. Against Macalester Thursday, Gannon drilled a two-run HR in the opener and another three-run bomb in the nightcap. … In her last six games, Gannon has gone 7-for-19 — including those five home runs — with seven runs scored and 11 RBIs. She also boasts a 1.308 slugging percentage. … Gannon has now hit more home runs in a six-game span than she has in any of her first three complete seasons. … The five HRs equal her career best of a year ago. … Gannon's 17 career home runs tie her with Jennifer Meyer for No. 2 all-time. She is nine shy of career home run leader Jill Hocking. … The Cardinals' seven hits in Game 1 Saturday vs. Bethel came from seven different players, while Gannon, Erin Stenseth (Eau Claire, Wis.) and Nicole Olson (New Brighton, Minn.) each had two Game 2 hits to account for six of the team's eight hits. … Mallory Betzold (Farmington, Minn.) went 4-for-4 with a pair of doubles in Game 1 vs. Macalester last Thursday. It was the fourth time in her career that Betz has had four hits in a game. The two doubles also equaled her single-game career high. … Hailey Ohl (Bloomington, Minn.), who recorded her second three-hit performance of the season with a 3-for-4 performance in the opener vs. Macalester last Thursday, leads the Cardinals with eight multiple-hit games. … Paige Carter (Rosemount, Minn.) has driven in two or more runs six times this season — including a three-hit, five-RBI effort against the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford on March 10. … Ohl enters Sunday's DH at Luther with a team-leading .433 batting average, while also leading the team with 26 hits. … Ohl is one of seven Cardinal regulars hitting .300 or better. … Carter, who is hitting .344, leads the team in doubles (7), RBIs (23), total bases (38), while Gannon boasts a team-leading .621 slugging percentage. … Carter has hit three home runs this season — including a pair of grand slams. … Betzold enters Sunday's DH vs. Luther with team-highs in ERA (2.28), wins (8), appearances (13), innings pitched (70.2) and strikeouts (40). The senior left-hander has allowed just nine walks in those 70.2 innings. … Last Thursday's 9-1, five-inning victory over Macalester marked the fifth time this season SMU has won by the eight-run rule. … Last Tuesday's 1-0, 8-0 sweep of St. Olaf was the Cardinals' first sweep by shutout since SMU blanked St. Catherine 3-0, 7-0 on April 28, 2019. … Two of SMU's 12 wins have been against nationally ranked teams — No. 22 Coe (4-2) and No. 7 Central-Iowa (5-1). … Four of the Cardinals' eight losses this season have been by one run — 6-5 vs. Wheaton (Ill.), 5-4 vs. Southwestern (Texas) and 3-2 vs. St. Thomas and Saint Benedict. … The Cardinals have outscored their opponents 19-5 in the first inning. … SMU has scored first in 10 of its 12 wins. … The Cardinals are 5-1 when leading after the sixth inning. … SMU banged out a season-high 19 hits and 12 runs vs. UP-Bradford. … With their split against Saint Benedict on April 2, the Cardinals and Blazers have now played six straight one-run games in the last three seasons — including five being decided by the same 3-2 score.

Luther Norse Around The Horn:
2011 Schedule | 2011 Roster | 2011 Overall Statistics
Luther entered 2011 after going 42-7 — the most wins in school history — while capping the fourth straight season in which the Norse won 30 or more games. … Luther, scored 34 runs in three games in cruising to the IIAC Tournament title in 2010, finished fifth at the NCAA Division III National Championships. … The Norse opened the 2011 season with wins in 15 of their first 16 games. … With their sweep of Buena Vista Saturday, Luther ran its winning streak to four straight and improved to 20-4 on the season — marking the seventh straight season in which the Norse have won 20 or more games. … Twelve of Luther's 20 wins have come by shutout. … Shari Huber and Kelsey Kittleson enter Sunday's contest vs. SMU hitting .409 and .405, respectively. They are also two of eight Luther players hitting above .300. … Kittleson also leads the team in at-bats (74), hits (30), RBIs and walks (12). … Kelsey Weindruch is the team leader in doubles (8) and home runs (4) — including a lead-off shot against Buena Vista Saturday. … Luther boasts eight players with 10 or more RBIs. … Weindruch and Lauran Snyder have each scored 19 points, leading nine Norse with 10 or more runs scored. … Lexy Determan — who teamed with Kim Lambert to become Luther's first tandem to win 20 games in the same season in 2010 — has been virtually untouchable, compiling a microscopic 0.49 ERA and a 12-2 record this season. … Determan has struck out 124 batters in 101 innings, while walking just 24. … Luther has outscored its opponents 167-35 — including 26-1 in the second inning and 49-6 in the third.