WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University baseball team steps out of conference play on Friday, as the Cardinals host Finlandia in a 2:30 p.m. conference doubleheader at Max Molock Field.




The Matchup:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (5-13 Overall) vs.
Finlandia Lions (0-12 Overall)

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Last Action:
The Cardinals erupted for 11 runs in the second game of their conference doubleheader against Carleton Wednesday, as SMU beat the Knights 11-6 to earn a split. The Knights won the opener, 1-0. … Finlandia, meanwhile, has not played since March 11, when the Lions dropped both ends of a nonconference doubleheader against U.S. Coast Guard Academy in Fort Myers, Fla. The Lions were blanked 7-0 in the opener, then fell 10-2 in the nightcap.

Last Meeting — April 23, 2009:
The Cardinals scattered 13 hits and used a pair of four-run innings to beat Finlandia 10-0 in the opener, then erupted for a season-high 20 hits in Game 2, scoring at least one run in every inning in completing the sweep with a 16-0 triumph at Max Molock Field.

Up Next:
The Cardinals are back home on Saturday, as SMU returns to conference action with a 1 p.m. doubleheader against Gustavus at Max Molock Field. … Finlandia, meanwhile, stays on the road on Sunday, as the Lions travel to Ashland, Wis., for a 2 p.m.. doubleheader against Northland.

Saint Mary's Cardinals Around The Horn:
2011 Schedule | 2011 Roster | 2011 Overall Statistics
The Cardinals snapped their season-high five-game losing streak with their 11-6, Game 2 win over Carleton Wednesday. … SMU's 11 runs in the nightcap Wednesday were its most since plating a season-high 18 in an 18-5 win over Concordia-Wisconsin on March 11. … Curt Swanson (Woodbury, Minn.), who also had his 11-game hitting streak snapped in Game 2 against St. Olaf last Saturday, had four hits against the Knights Wednesday and has now hit safely in 15 of 17 games. … After being held hitless for the first time this season last Saturday against St. Olaf, Vince Lulic (Mendota Heights, Minn.) had a hit in both games vs. Carleton, giving the SMU sophomore hits in 14 of the 16 games he's played. … Swanson was the only Cardinal with more than one hit in both games vs. Carleton Wednesday, while Daniel Geraghty (Chicago, Ill.), Luke Larson (Bloomington, Minn.) and Chris Bogie (St. Paul, Minn.) all had two hits in Game 2 vs. the Knights. … Geraghty also drove in a career-high three runs in the second game vs. Carleton. … Andrew Ruf (Chippewa Falls, Wis.) threw a complete-game six-hitter in Wednesday's Game 1 loss, while Matt Biagini (Maplewood, Minn.) earned his first collegiate victory, surrendering three hits and five earned runs in four innings in Game 2. … Swanson enters Friday's doubleheader against Finlandia hitting a team-leading .388, while also boasting team-highs in at-bats (67), hits (26) and total bases (33). … Swanson's .493 slugging percentage is second to Jon Schlemmer's DePere, Wis.) .509. Schlemmer also leads the team in RBI's with 18. … Schlemmer is one of three Cardinals with 10 or more RBIs — Andrew Warren (Stillwater, Minn. / 13) and Swanson (10) are the other two. … Warren and Lulic share the team lead in doubles (6) and triples (2). … Jake Lechner (Shoreview, Minn.) has also hit two triples this season, including a two-run three-bagger against Carleton Wednesday. … Swanson and Schlemmer have accounted for SMU's two home runs this season. … Cody Pfennig (La Crosse, Wis.) joins Warren atop the team lead in runs scored with 15. The duo are among five Cardinals with 10 or more runs scored. … With his 2-for-3 showing in Game 1 and 2-for-5 effort in Game 2 against Carleton Wednesday, Swanson now boasts a team-leading 10 multiple-hit games, while Schlemmer owns a team-best five multiple-RBI games, including a six-RBI performance during a 4-for-4 showing against Concordia-Wisconsin on March 11. … With his team-leading second complete game against Carleton Wednesday, Ruf pushed his team-high innings pitched total to 26.0. Ruf also leads the team wins (2) and is one of six Cardinal hurlers who have logged 10 or more innings. … Bogie who tossed his first collegiate nine-inning complete game in SMU's 4-2 win over Marian on March 12, enters Friday's DH vs. Finlandia leading the team in ERA (3.86). … SMU's 4-3, 10-inning loss in the opener vs. Cornell on March 19 was the second extra-inning game of the season for the Cardinals, who dropped an 8-7, eight-inning decision to Presentation on March 10. … The Cardinals have scored in their first at-bat in seven of their 18 games this season. SMU is 4-0 when leading after the sixth inning, but 1-13 when tied or trailing heading into the seventh inning. … SMU has not faced a left-handed starter this year.

Finlandia Lions Around The Horn:
2011 Schedule | 2011 Roster | 2011 Overall Statistics
The Lions enter today's doubleheader against Saint Mary's searching for their first win of the season, having lost all 12 games during their six-day stay in Fort Myers, Fla. … The Lions' 7-0 Game 1 loss to U.S. Coast Guard on their final day of their spring trip marked the third time this season Finlandia had been held scoreless. Illinois College beat the Lions 10-0 on March 7 and Eastern Nazerene handed them a 4-0 setback on March 8. … Finlandia surrendered 10 or more runs six times in their 12-game spring trip — including a season-high 21 in a 21-1 loss to Newbury College on March 6. … Gerard Taylor enters today's DH vs. SMU as the team's offensive leader, boasting a team-leading .412 batting average, while also leading the squad in at-bats (34), runs (9), hits (14), total bases (15), slugging percentage (.441), walks (6), on-base percentage (.512) and stolen bases (4). … Phil Matte drove in a team-best five runs in Florida. … Fifty-two of the Lions' 55 hits during their first 12 games have been singles. … Preston Hutchens has thrown a team-best 20.1 innings in five pitching appearances, while Matte leads the Lion pitching staff with 16 strikeouts. … As a team, Finlandia comes into today's DH vs. SMU with a 10.42 ERA, while opponents are hitting .359 against them. … Finlandia will be true road warriors this season, playing 33 of its 35 games away from their home of Hancock, Mich. … Hancock, Mich., is 360 miles from Winona.