WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University fastpitch softball team steps out of conference play on Thursday, hosting UW-Eau Claire in a 3 p.m. nonconference doubleheader at the SMU Field.





The Matchup:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (15-11 Overall) vs.
UW-Eau Claire Blugolds (19-7 Overall)

GameDay Live On The Web:
Live Stats | GameDay Program

Last Action:
The Cardinals are coming off a conference split against Concordia last Sunday. SMU scored 10 times in the first inning and cruised to a 14-1 win in the opener at the SMU Field, but the Cobbers took advantage of a pair of Cardinal first-inning errors en route to a 5-4, Game 2 victory … UW-Eau Claire, meanwhile, has also been off since last Sunday, when the Blugolds were shut out twice, 6-0, 8-0 by nationally ranked UW-Whitewater.

Last Meeting — April 7 2010:
The Cardinals scored three runs in the top of the sixth inning, but their late-game rally came up two runs short in a 5-3, Game 1 loss to UW-Eau Claire in their nonconference doubleheader in Eau Claire, Wis.. SMU got things going earlier in the nightcap, scoring a single run in the top of the first inning. That, however, would be the only run the Cardinals would score, as the Blugolds scored nine unanswered runs to complete the sweep, 9-1.

Up Next:
The Cardinals return to MIAC action on Friday, hosting Hamline in a 1 p.m. conference doubleheader at the SMU Field. … UW-Eau Claire, meanwhile, remains on the road on Saturday, traveling to Oshkosh, Wis., for a 2 p.m. WIAC twinbill against UW-Oshkosh.

Saint Mary's Cardinals Around The Horn:
2011 Schedule | 2011 Roster | 2011 Overall Statistics
SMU's 5-4, Game 2 loss to Concordia Sunday snapped the Cardinals' three-game winning streak. … SMU's 14 runs in their 14-1, five-inning Game 1 win vs. the Cobbers Sunday were a season high. … SMU erupted for 10 first-inning runs vs. Concordia in the opener Sunday, marking the most runs scored in a single inning since scoring 13 runs in the second inning of a 27-0 win over Mount Mary College in Tucson, Ariz., on March 20, 2009. … Paige Carter (Rosemount, Minn.) went 3-for-3 with a run scored in the opener vs. Concordia on Sunday. … Carter also picked up two hits in four at-bats in the nightcap vs. Concordia Sunday, giving the SMU sophomore a team-leading 11 multiple-hit games … Carter also drove in a pair of Game 1 runs, giving her seven multiple-RBI games, and enters Tuesday's DH at Gustavus riding a season-high 11-game hitting streak. … Kellie Simons (Richfield, Minn.) was also 3-for-3 in the opener vs. Concordia, while Hailey Ohl (Bloomington, Minn.) chipped in a pair of hits. … SMU's two extra-inning wins vs. Augsburg last Wednesday marked the first time both games of a Cardinal doubleheader have gone to extra inning since SMU dropped 3-2 and 7-6 decisions to Saint Benedict on April 25, 2010. … The Cardinals' 5-4, 10-inning win in Game 2 last Wednesday was their longest game since April 27, 2006, when UW-La Crosse outlasted SMU 3-2 in 11 innings. … Katy Gannon (Roselle, Ill.) delivered her team- and single-season career-high sixth home run against Concordia Sunday. The SMU senior has now hit 18 career home runs — ranking her second all-time, eight HRs back of career leader Jill Hocking. … Carter enters Thursday's DH vs. UW-Eau Claire boasting a team-best .405 batting average — she is one of seven Cardinals hitting .300 or better. … Carter also leads the Cardinals in hits (34), doubles (8), RBIs (28) and total bases (51). … Erin Stenseth (Eau Claire, Wis.) — who collected her second four-hit game of the season last Wednesday against Augsburg, going 4-for-6 — leads the team in at-bats (91) and runs (24), while Gannon owns a team-high .608 slugging percentage. … As a team, the Cardinals have hit 16 home runs — six by Gannon, four by Stenseth, three by Carter — including two grand slams — two by Betzold and one by Simon. … Betzold collected her team-leading 11th win of the season in the opener vs. Concordia Sunday. … Betzold, whose 11 wins are a single-season career high, has compiled an 11-5 record and a 2.28 ERA in 95.0 innings. She has struck out 60 and walked just 10. … The Cardinals' 14-1, five-inning win vs. Concordia Sunday marked the sixth time this season SMU has won by the eight-run rule. … Five of the Cardinals' 11 losses this season have been by one run — 6-5 vs. Wheaton (Ill.), 5-4 vs. Southwestern (Texas), 3-2 vs. both St. Thomas and Saint Benedict, and 5-4 vs. Concordia. … The Cardinals have outscored their opponents 31-8 in the first inning and 21-9 in the sixth.. … With their two wins over Augsburg Wednesday, SMU improved to 3-0 in extra-inning games this season. … SMU has scored first in 12 of its 15 wins. … The Cardinals are 6-1 when leading after the sixth inning. … The Cardinals have held their opponents to two runs or less in 11 of their 15 wins. … SMU banged out a season-high 19 hits and 12 runs vs. UP-Bradford on March 10. … SMU's 1-0, 8-0 sweep of St. Olaf on April 5 was the Cardinals' first sweep by shutout since SMU blanked St. Catherine 3-0, 7-0 on April 28, 2019. … 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.

UW-Eau Claire Blugolds Around The Horn:
2011 Schedule | 2011 Roster | 2011 Overall Statistics
The Blugolds, who finished second in the WIAC last season — their best finish since 2006 — have won 10 or more conference games in each of the last seven seasons. … Winners of the 2008 NCAA Division III national championship, the Blugolds boast two players — Emily Haluska (.458) and Jess Freagon (.432) — hitting .432 or better and have seven with batting averages of .333 or higher. … Freagon also leads the team in hits (35), triples (3), home runs (4), RBIs (34), total bases (61) and slugging percentage (.753). … Freagon is one of six Blugolds with 10 or more RBIs while Emily Muller has scored a team-high 27 runs and leads eight players who have scored 10 or more runs. … Freagon and Haluska have each compiled 12 multiple-hit games, while Freagon also leads the team with eight multiple-RBI games. … The Blugolds have used five different pitchers, with Lauren Carlson and Ashley Meinen leading the squad with six wins each. … Emily Ruegemer owns a team-leading 1.05 ERA, while Meinen has thrown a team-leading 53.1 innings and has struck out a team-high 36 batters. … UW-Eau Claire is 15-0 when holding the lead after four innings. … UW-EC has scored in the first inning in 13 of its 19 wins and the Blugolds are 12-2 when scoring the game's first run.