ROCHESTER, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University softball team, coming off a 6-3 spring trip to Tucson, Ariz., is back in action on Sunday, as the Cardinals square off against UW-River Falls in a nonconference doubleheader at the Rochester Dome.

The Matchup:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (6-3 Overall)
vs. UW-River Falls Falcons (7-1 Overall)

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Last Action:
The Cardinals opened the season by going 6-3 during their seven-day, nine-game trip to Tucson, Ariz., last week. SMU closed out the trip with a four-game winning streak, including back-to-back wins over Marian (8-5) and Chatham (5-1) last Sunday. … UW-River Falls, meanwhile, pushed its record to 7-1 with a nonconference sweep of Augsburg on March 7, beating the Auggies 6-5 and 12-1 at the Vadnais Heights (Minn.) Dome.

SMU vs. UW-River Falls — Their Last Meeting:
May 4, 2010: SMU dropped a heartbreaking, 9-8, eight-inning decision to the Falcons in the openin game of their nonconference doubleheader — a game in which SMU scored four runs in the top of the eighth, only to surrender five in the bottom half of the inning. That loss took all the wind out of the Cardinals' sails, as SMU's tank hit empty in the nightcap, falling 8-0, in River Falls, Wis.

Up Next:
The Cardinals kick off Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play on March 28, traveling to Minneapolis, Minn., for a 4 p.m. conference doubleheader against Augsburg. … UW-River Falls, meanwhile, heads to Clermont, Fla., on March 24-29, taking part in the National Training Center Tournament.

Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2013 Roster | 2013 Statistics | 2013 Schedule
The Cardinals' spring trip was a week of streaks, as SMU opened with back-to-back wins, dropped three in a row, and closed out the trip riding a four-game winning streak. … The Cardinals scored a season-high 12 runs in their 12-7 win over Howard Payne on March 7. … As a team, SMU hit .366 during its nine games in Tucson, Ariz., and boasted five players hitting .400 or better — led by Nat Boissiere (Plymouth, Minn.) and Kristen Thelen (Rochester, Minn.) at .571 and .516, respectively. … Boissiere and Thelen also lead the team with 16 hits, while Boissiere owns a team-best .679 slugging percentage — she is one of four Cardinals with a slugging percentage over .600. Thelen (.645), Paige Carter (Rosemount, Minn. / .633) and Mel Hamilton (Homewood, Ill. / .609) are the other three. … Carter is the team-leader with 13 runs scored, while Alex Raske (Chicago, Ill.) boasts the team lead in doubles (4), triples (1) and RBIs (11). … Carter belted SMU's lone home run during the Cardinals' spring trip — a first-inning, solo shot against Iowa Wesleyan on March 5. … Thelen enters Sunday's doubleheader against UW-River Falls riding a seven-game hitting streak, while Hamilton has reached base safely in all nine of the Cardinals' games. … Thelen also owns a team-best six multiple-hit games, while Raske has recorded a team-high four multiple-RBI contests. … The Cardinals have swiped six bases in eight attempts this season, with Hailey Ohl (Bloomington, Minn.) owning five them. … Kayla Peterson (Lewiston, Minn.) went 5-2 with a 3.74 ERA and four complete games. She threw 45.2 of the team's 60.2 innings, walking just six and striking out 29. … SMU has outscored its opponents 10-2 in the first inning, 11-4 in the second and 13-3 in the fourth. On the flip side, the Cardinals have been outscored 8-0 in the seventh inning. … All three of SMU's losses this season have been by one run. … The Cardinals have not lost when their opponent scores first, going 2-0.

Scouting The UW-River Falls Falcons:
2013 Roster | 2013 Statistics | 2013 Schedule
With their sweep of Augsburg on March 7, the Falcons pushed their winning streak to a season-high six straight. … UW-River Falls has scored 10 or more runs three times this season — beating Hope 14-1, St. Scholastica 10-0 and Augsburg 12-1. … The Falcons have won the second game of their last two doubleheaders by the eight-run rule. … UW-River Falls will play its first 24 games on the road this season. The Falcons do not open their home schedule until April 11, when they host Hamline in a 3:30 p.m. nonconference doubleheader. … The Falcons have been picked to finish third in the WIAC preseason poll. UWRF has won the past two WIAC Tournament titles. … Abbie Morris owns a team-leading .542 batting average, while also leading the team in hits (13), RBIs (15), total bases (28), slugging percentage (1.167) and on-base percentage (.593). … The Falcons are hitting .371 as a team, with six players hitting .400 or better. … Twenty-eight of UW-RF's 82 hits have been for extra bases — including 13 home runs. … Morris and Hayley Buchanan have each recorded five-multiple-hit games, while Morris has also notched four multiple-RBI games — including a season-best five-RBI effort in the team's season-opener against Hope on Feb. 23. … Buchanan enters Sunday's games against Saint Mary's owning a team-best eight-game hitting streak. … UW-River Falls is a perfect 4-for-4 in stolen bases, with Nicole Lubahn and Amber O'Connell each stealing two bases in two attempts. … UW-RF's four-person pitching staff boasts a 2.14 ERA, led by Brooke Lauritzen, who is 3-0 with a 1.26 ERA. Morris, meanwhile, has tossed a team-leading 21.1 innings, compiling a 4-0 record and a 2.58 ERA wit a team-best 28 strikeouts. …  Buchanan was named to the NFCA All-America First Team in 2012. She was the first Falcon ever to be named to the first team. … Ashley Goettl was named to the CoSIDA Capital One Academic All-America first team in 2012. … Coach Faye Perkins is in her 20th year as head coach of the Falcons. She has a 425-344-2 record. The Falcon coaching staff (with assistants Pam Latterell and Ashley Bertrand) was named the NFCA Great Lakes Coaching Staff of the Year in 2012. … The Falcons will face six Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference teams this season. Along with Augsburg and Saint Mary's, UW-RF will also square off against St. Olaf, St. Thomas, Hamline and Bethel.