WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University baseball team kicks off Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play Saturday, hosting Bethel in a 1 p.m. conference doubleheader at Max Molock Field.



The Matchup:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (0-0 MIAC | 8-7 Overall)
vs. Bethel Royals (0-0 MIAC | 8-6 Overall)

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Last Action:
The Cardinals suffered a pair of one-run losses Tuesday at the Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minn., falling to Luther 2-1 in the opener and 6-5 in the nightcap. … Bethel, meanwhile, has been off since March 24, when the Royals capped their spring trip in Fort Myers, Fla., with 11-2 and 7-1 wins over Lawrence.

SMU vs. Bethel — Their Last Meeting:
May 4, 2011: After giving up a run in the top of the eighth inning, the Cardinals rallied for two runs in the bottom of the frame — the first scoring on a pinch-hit single by Danny Geraghty (Chicago, Ill.) and the second set up by a perfectly executed hit-and-run and scored on a passed ball — as SMU handed the Royals a 5-4 setback at Max Molock Field. The Cardinals weren't able to write another happy ending in the nightcap, however, as Bethel scored four runs in the second inning and never looked back in earning a conference split with an 8-3 victory.

Up Next:
The Cardinals step out of conference play on Tuesday, traveling to Menomonie, Wis., for a nonconference doubleheader against UW-Stout. First pitch is set for 2 p.m. … Bethel, meanwhile, is also in action on Tuesday, hosting North Central in a 3:30 p.m. nine-inning nonconference game.

Saint Mary's Cardinals News and Notes:
2012 Roster | 2012 Statistics | 2012 Schedule | 2012 Media Guide
Saturday's game against Bethel is the home opener for the Cardinals, who played their first 15 games of the 2012 season on the road. … Tuesday's 2-1, 6-5 losses to Luther marked the first time this season the Cardinals have been swept in a doubleheader — it also snapped a streak of four straight doubleheader splits for SMU. … Six of the Cardinals' seven losses this season have been decided by one run. … As a team, the Cardinals are hitting .325 and boast 11 players hitting above .300. … Danny Geraghty (Chicago, Ill.) went 1-for-3 in Tuesday's Game 1 loss to Luther, extending his hitting streak to a career-best 11 straight games. The streak ended in Game 2, however, as Geraghty was held hitless in three at-bats. … Paul LaNasa (Mahtomedi, Minn.) recorded the first four-hit game of his collegiate career, going 4-for-5 against UW-Oshkosh last Sunday. … Matt Tessmer (West St. Paul, Minn.) had two of SMU's four Game 1 hits vs. Luther Tuesday, and finished the doubleheader with three hits in five at-bats. … Kevin Gannon (Roselle, Ill.) leads the team in at-bats (58), runs (12), hits (21), doubles (9), RBIs (15) and total bases (35). … Jon Schlemmer (De Pere, Wis.) boasts a team-leading .649 slugging percentage and has collected six extra-base hits — including a team-best four triples — among his 14 hits this season. … Gannon and Zach Wolfe (Wabasha, Minn.) have accounted for SMU's two home runs this season. Gannon hit his first collegiate home run in Game 1 against Lewis & Clark on March 10, while Wolfe's first collegiate round-tripper came against Simpson on March 8. … Gannon has recorded a team-best seven multiple-hit games — including three three-hit performances — while also boasting a team-leading three-multiple-RBI games. … Teddy VanRanst (St. Paul, Minn.) and Justin Kronebusch (Altura, Minn.) each tossed six innings of shutout ball against UW-Oshkosh last Sunday. VanRanst started, scattering seven hits, while Kronebusch allowed just four hits and struck out four in his six innings of work.. … Tyler Krysiak (Bloomington, Minn.) — the team's saves leader with three — picked up his first collegiate pitching win vs. the Titans, going the final two innings. He struck out three and surrendered just two hits. … Kronebusch has now thrown a team-best 20.1 innings, while VanRanst is right behind at 20.0 IP. … Kronebusch also leads the team with 15 strikeouts. … Van Ranst and Sam Nord (Mendota Heights, Minn.) lead the team in victories with two each. … The Cardinals boast two pitchers with ERAs below 3.00 — Nord (2.08) and Van Ranst (2.25). … As a staff, the Cardinals' pitchers have compiled a 4.34 ERA during their first 15 games. … Five of the Cardinals' eight victories this season have come from pitchers recording their first collegiate pitching wins — Nord,  Krysiak, Pat Regan (Mound, Minn.), Jake Merkle (Mahtomedi, Minn.) and Will DeBruin (Neenah, Wis.). … Krysiak collected his first collegiate save in SMU's season-opening win over Northern State on March 4, then followed that up with saves against Benedictine University at Springfield on March 5 and Simpson on March 8. … Krysiak's three saves are three shy of the single-season saves record, held by Eric Van Brocklin. … The Cardinals are 3-0 when scoring in the first inning. … Tuesday's Game 2 loss to Luther marked the first time in nine games that the Cardinals have lost when outhitting their opponent. … As a team, Cardinals have plated 91 runs in 15 games this season — including a season-high 14 in a 14-13, 10-inning victory over Lewis & Clark on March 10. … The Cardinals' 1-0, 14-inning victory over UW-Oshkosh on March 25 was their longest game since beating Christian Brothers University 6-5 in 14 innings on March 30, 1999. … The 1-0 win over the Titans was also SMU's first shutout victory since blanking Mayville State 1-0 to open the 2010 season. … SMU has now played two extra-inning games this season, having also dispatched of Lewis & Clark 14-13 in 10 innings on March 10. …SMU's 14 runs in that 10-inning win over Lewis & Clark was the Cardinals' highest offensive output since plating 14 in a 14-1 win over Finlandia on April 8, 2011. … With their 9-2, 5-2 victories over NCAA Division II Northern State on March 4, the Cardinals opened the season with a sweep for the first time since taking two from Valley City State to kick off the 2005 season.

Bethel Royals News and Notes:
2012 Roster | 2012 Statistics | 2012 Schedule
The Royals head into Saturday's conference-opener at Saint Mary's riding a two-game winning streak, having closed out their spring trip with back-to-back wins over Lawrence. … Along with their four spring-trip wins, Bethel also recorded a 2-1 exhibition victory over the Minnesota Twins Rookie Team. … Bethel scored seven or more runs in all four of their wins in Fort Myers, Fla., while scoring six runs or less in their four spring-trip losses. … David Freed enters Saturday's DH at Saint Mary's boasting a team-leading .478 batting average. He also leads the team in runs (18), hits (22), triples (2), total bases (28) and on-base percentage (.567). … Freed is one of three Royals with two triples. … The Royals boast eight players hitting above .300. … Travis Piepho is the team-leader in at-bats (54) and is second to Freed in hits with 21. … Piepho and Jay Slick share the team lead in doubles with five each. … Matt Rowley has driven in a team-best 14 runs. He is one of three Royals with 10 or more RBIs through 14 games. … The Royals have stolen 15 bases in 21 attempts, led by Slick with four steals in five attempts. … Rowley and Freed have been the workhorses of the Royal pitching staff. Rowley has hurled a team-best 30.2 innings, while Freed is close behind at 27.0 IP. … Rowley also owns a team-high three pitching wins and his 2.35 ERA in five appearances is second to Buddy Flaherty's team-leading 1.93 ERA in seven appearances. … Flaherty also leads the team with three saves. … Rowley has fanned 24 batters — he is the only Royal with more than five strikeouts this season. … The Royals are 4-1 when scoring five or more runs. … Bethel has played three games won by shutout, going 1-2 in those three games. … The Royals have scored in the first inning of seven of their 14 games. They are 6-1 when scoring in the first inning. … Bethel is 7-1 when scoring the game's first run, but are just 1-5 when their opponent scores first.