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GameDay Preview
TUCSON, Ariz. — If Saint Mary's University fastpitch softball coach
Jen Miller had her way, the Cardinals would stay in Tucson for another week.
After all, the Cardinals are just warming up.
SMU ran its winning streak to four straight Sunday morning, as the Cardinals closed out their seven-day spring trip with an 8-5 win over Marian and a 5-1 victory over Chatham.
Against Marian, the Cardinals used a pair of rallies to put away the Sabres — using a five-run bottom of the third to erase a 4-0 Marian lead, then plated three runs in the bottom of the fourth after the Sabres had retaken the lead, 5-4, in their half of the fifth.
SMU took advantage of three hits and two Marian errors to score its five runs in the bottom of the third.
Alex Raske (Chicago, Ill.) had the pick hit, driving in two with an RBI double to left. The Cardinals then used four hits — including RBI singles by
Anna Ramboldt (Goodhue, Minn.) and
Mel Hamilton (Homewood, Ill.) — en route to its three-run fourth.
Kristen Thelen (Rochester, Minn.) went 3-for-4 to pace the Cardinals' 10-hit attack vs. the Sabres, while Ramboldt went 2-for-4 with two RBIs and
Paige Carter (Rosemount, Minn.) had two hits in three at-bats and drove in a run.
Kayla Peterson (Lewiston, Minn.) tossed a complete-game nine-hitter, allowing five earned runs, while walking two and striking out five in improving to 3-2 overall.
The Cardinals scored four of their runs in the first three innings — scoring two in the first — both scoring on a Chatham error — while adding single runs in both the second and third. A Carter sacrifice fly plated SMU's second-inning run, while Julie Bartosz (Mokena, Ill.) laced a single to score Hamilton, who had tripled with two out.
Thelen and
Mariah Harper (Schaumburg, Ill.) led the Cardinal offense, collecting two hits each, while Peterson picked up her second win of the day on the mound, allowing three runs and no hits in five innings of work. Carter pitched the final two innings, surrendering one run on two hits in two innings.
The Cardinals, who finished their spring trip with a 6-3 record, are now off until March 17, when they travel to the Rochester (Minn.) Dome for a pair of nonconference games against UW-River Falls.