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ST. PAUL, Minn. — If the Saint Mary's University fastpitch softball team was feeling an ill affects from last Saturday's seventh-inning collapse against Bethel, the Cardinals certainly didn't show it Tuesday afternoon against Hamline.

In fact, it's pretty safe to say the Cardinals — with freshman Alex Raske (Chicago, Ill.) leading the charge — took out their frustrations on the host Pipers.

SMU — which surrendered seven runs in the top of the seventh in falling to Bethel 9-5 in the second game of their conference split Saturday — erupted for nine runs on nine hits, while taking advantage of four Hamline errors, in beating the Pipers 9-1 in five innings in the opener Tuesday.

The Cardinals then equaled their Game 1 offensive output in the nightcap, posting their second straight five-inning victory, 9-0.

Raske led the way for the Cardinals in the opener, going 3-for-4 with a double and her second home run in the last three games. The freshman also scored twice and drove in three runs. Hailey Ohl (Bloomington, Minn.) and Nicole Olson (New Brighton, Minn.) each chipped in two hits, while Kristen Thelen (Rochester, Minn.) delivered a two-run single.

The Cardinals scored in every inning but the third, plating an unearned run in the first, before scoring three times in the second. Raske's second collegiate home run in the fourth pushed SMU's lead to 5-0, while RBI doubles by Raske and Olson — along with a two-run single by Thelen — accounted for SMU's four runs in the fifth.

SMU picked up right where it left off in the nightcap, scoring a pair of unearned runs in the first, before scoring five times in the second — highlighted by Erin Stenseth's (Eau Claire, Wis.) first home run of the season and two-run doubles by Raske and Paige Carter (Rosemount, Minn.). The Cardinals closed out the scoring in the third, plating two more unearned runs to push their lead to 9-0,

Carter, Stenseth and Thelen all recorded two hits to pace the Cardinals' nine-hit Game 2 attack, with Carter driving in three runs, while Raske added two RBIs.

Kayla Peterson (Lewiston, Minn.) pitched all five innings in the opener, allowing one run on six hits for her eighth win of the season, while Carter was the winning pitcher in Game 2, tossing three innings of third-hit ball.

The Cardinals (4-2 MIAC, 10-6 overall) return to action on Thursday, hosting Concordia in a conference doubleheader at 3:30 p.m. at the SMU Field.