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WINONA, Minn. — With a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference playoff berth hanging on every pitch Tuesday afternoon, the Saint Mary's University fastpitch softball team left little doubt that they deserved one of the conference's post-season invitations.

SMU belted four home runs — including two off the bat of Erin Stenseth (Eau Claire, Wis.) — in cruising to a 14-4, five-inning win in the opener of the Cardinals conference doubleheader against Carleton at the SMU Field.

It was more of the same in the nightcap, as the Cardinals continued feasting on Knight pitching, belting two more home runs — including the first collegiate HR by senior Joanna Mangan (Chicago, Ill.) — en route to their second straight five-inning victory, an 11-1 win, and a sweep of Carleton.

More importantly, a sweep that sealed SMU's first MIAC post-season berth since 2007, as the Cardinals will head into Friday's tournament opener as the No. 3 seed.

“One of our main goals coming into the season was getting back into the MIAC Tournament — and now we can say we accomplished that,” said SMU coach Jen Miller, whose team closed out its conference schedule with a 15-7 record, while improving to 22-14 overall. “But with this team, I can guarantee you, just getting there isn't going to be enough.

“They aren't going to be satisfied just being one of the four teams in MIAC still playing ball on Friday.”

All told, the Cardinals knocked around four Carleton pitchers for 25 runs on 30 hits — including six home runs.

The Cardinals left little doubt in the opener, scoring at least one run in every inning they batted in, plating single runs in the first and second, before putting the game out of reach with a nine-run third inning. Stenseth and Kellie Simons (Richfield, Minn.) highlighted SMU's eight-hit, nine-run fourth with home runs — Simons' a three-run shot and Stenseth's a two-run round-tripper.

After surrendering four runs to the Knights in the top of the fourth, SMU answered with three runs of their own in the bottom half of the inning, all three coming two Cardinal home runs — Stenseth's second of the game, a two-run bomb to left, and a solo shot by Mallory Betzold (Farmington, Minn.).

Seven of the Cardinals' nine starters had two hits — and eight of the nine had at least one hit — while Stenseth finished with four RBIs and Betzold and Simons each drove in three.

SMU picked up right where they left off in Game 2, scoring five times in the first inning — sparked by a three-run home run off the bat of Paige Carter (Rosemount, Minn.).

The Cardinals added a single run in the third on an RBI single by Stenseth, then iced the win with their second five-run inning of the game, highlight by Mangan's first collegiate home run — in her final collegiate home game.

Stenseth led the Cardinals' 15 hit Game 2 attack with three hits in four at-bats, while Mangan, Gannon, Betzold and Michelle Carne (Escanaba, Mich.) all chipped in two hits. Mangan and Carter each drove in three runs.

The conference tournament kicks off on Friday, with No. 1 seeded St. Thomas hosting either Bethel, Hamline or Saint Benedict — all three are still vying for the fourth and final post-season berth — in St. Paul, Minn., while Gustavus and Saint Mary's will meet at 2:30 p.m. in Arden Hills, Minn., in the other opening-round game of the double-elimination tournament.