ARDEN HILLS, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University fastpitch softball team hits the road on Saturday, traveling to Bethel for a 1 p.m. conference doubleheader against the Royals.



The Matchup:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (5-3 MIAC | 12-6 Overall) vs.
Bethel Royals (3-1 MIAC | 12-8 Overall)

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Last Action:
The Cardinals banged out 24 hits and scored 17 runs in sweeping Macalester 8-1 and 9-1 Thursday at the SMU Field. … Bethel, meanwhile, is also coming off a conference sweep Thursday, beating St. Catherine 8-7 and 2-1 in St. Paul, Minn.

Last Meeting — April 14, 2010:
The Royals banged out 20 hits and scored 15 runs in sweeping SMU 6-3 and 9-2 at the SMU Field.

Up Next:
The Cardinals are right back in action on Sunday, as SMU travels to Decorah, Iowa, for a 1p.m. nonconference doubleheader against nationally ranked Luther. … Bethel, meanwhile, returns to the diamond on Wednesday, hosting Macalester in a 4 p.m. conference doubleheader in Arden Hills, Minn.

Saint Mary's Cardinals Around The Horn:
2011 Schedule | 2011 Roster | 2011 Overall Statistics
With their two wins over Macalester Thursday, the Cardinals pushed their winning streak to four straight with back-to-back sweeps of St. Olaf and Macalester. … The Cardinals have allowed just three runs during their current four-game run. … Katy Gannon (Roselle, Ill.) enters Saturday's DH at Bethel on a tear, having hit a home run in each of her last four 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 four games, Gannon is hitting .385, going 5-for-13 — including those four home runs — with six runs scored and nine RBIs. She also boasts a 1.308 slugging percentage. … Gannon's four home runs are one shy of the career-best five HRs she hit a year ago, and give her 16 for her career. … Gannon's 16 career home runs rank No. 3 all-time, one back of Jennifer Meyer and 10 behind career-leader Jill Hocking. … Mallory Betzold (Farmington, Minn.) went 4-for-4 with a pair of doubles in Game 1 vs. Macalester Thursday. It was the fourth time in her career that Betzold has had four hits in a game. The two doubles also equaled her single-game career high. … Hailey Ohl (Bloomington, Minn.) chipped in a 3-for-4 performance in the opener vs. the Scots. It was the second three-hit game of the season for Ohl, who also leads the team with eight multiple-hit games. … Paige Carter (Rosemount, Minn.) was the only Cardinal with two or more hits in the nightcap vs. Macalester, going 2-for-3 — both doubles — with two RBIs. … With her 2 RBIs, Carter has now 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 Saturday's DH at Bethel with a team-leading .481 batting average, while also leading the team with 25 hits. … Ohl is one of eight Cardinal regulars hitting .300 or better. … Carter is the team's leader in at-bats (57), doubles (7), RBIs (23), total bases (36) and slugging percentage (.632). She has also hit three home runs — including a pair of grand slams. … Along with her 4-for-4 performance at the plate in Game 1 vs. Macalester, Betzold also picked up her team-leading eighth pitching win, scattering five hits and allowing one earned run, while striking out five. … In 68.1 innings, Betzold — who owns an 8-3 record and a 1.95 ERA — has surrendered just six walks. … Angie Bates (Roselle, Ill.) evened her record at 3-3 with a complete-game, two-hitter in Game 2 vs. Macalester Thursday. … 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' six 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 19-4 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.

Bethel Royals Around The Horn:
2011 Schedule | 2011 Roster | 2011 Overall Statistics
With their two wins over St. Catherine on Thursday, the Royals extended their winning streak to three straight. The two wins also moved Bethel to 8-2 in its last 10 games. … With their 11-8 Game 2 win over Hamline last Tuesday, the Royals have scored 10 or more runs five times — including a season-high 16 runs in a 16-14, eight-inning win over Western New England College on March 13. …