MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University fastpitch softball team kicks off Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play on the road on Thursday, as SMU heads to Augsburg for a 5 p.m. conference twinbill at the Edor Nelson Field Bubble.

The Matchup | Thursday, March 28 | 5 p.m.
Saint Mary's Cardinals (0-0 MIAC | 7-4 Overall)
at Augsburg Auggies (0-0 MIAC | 7-11 Overall)

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Last Action:
The Cardinals have been off since March 17, when SMU battled UW-River Falls to a nonconference split at the Rochester Dome in Rochester, Minn. SMU won the opener, scoring three runs in the top of the sixth en route to a 4-3 victory, while the Falcons erupted for nine runs in the top of the fifth in beating the Cardinals 11-1 in Game 2. … Augsburg, meanwhile, is coming off a 4-6 spring trip to Kissimmee, Fla., which ended on March 21 with a 3-2 loss to Utica and a 3-2 win over McDaniel.

SMU vs. Augsburg — A Year Ago:
March 28, 2012: The Cardinals, who scored just two runs — both in the second inning on a Nicole Olson (New Brighton, Minn.) home run — in dropping the opening game of their MIAC twinbill vs. Augsburg 6-2, were held off the board for the first two innings of the nightcap as well. Then SMU's bats came to life, as SMU scored two runs in the third, three in the fourth and two in the sixth to earn a 7-5 victory and a split with the Auggies at the SMU Field.
May 4, 2012: It took SMU four innings to get warmed up, but once they did, the Cardinals were unstoppable. The Cardinals, who scored seven unanswered runs in the game's final three innings — and left the game-tying run on second base — in their 8-7 loss to top-seeded St. Thomas in the opening game of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament at Rice Creek Fields, picked up right where they left off in their second game of the day against Augsburg — erupting for five runs in the second inning and never looked back, as the Cardinals beat the Auggies 6-2.

Up Next:
The Cardinals are back in conference play on Tuesday, as they head to Rochester, Minn., and the Rochester Dome to take on Bethel in an MIAC doubleheader beginning at 5 p.m. … Augsburg, meanwhile, is right back on the field on Friday, squaring off against Carleton in an 11:30 a.m. doubleheader at the Auggies' Edor Nelson Field Bubble.

Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2013 Roster | 2013 Statistics | 2013 Schedule
The Cardinals had their season-high five-game winning streak snapped with their 11-1, Game 2 loss to UW-River Falls. … The Cardinals' split against the Falcons on March 17 marked the second straight split between the two teams. … The Cardinals head into their March 28 conference opener against Augsburg hitting .340 — while boasting five players who are hitting .390 or better. … Nat Boissiere (Plymouth, Minn.), who went 3-for-6 with a pair of RBIs in SMU's nonconference split with UW-River Falls on March 17, owns a team-best .559 batting average, while Kristen Thelen (Rochester, Minn. / .459), Paige Carter (Rosemount, Minn. / .417), Mariah Harper (Schaumburg, Ill. / .400) and Mel Hamilton (Homewood, Ill. / .393) are also hitting above .390. … Boissiere also leads the team in hits (19), total bases (22), slugging percentage (.647) and on-base percentage (.568), while Carter owns a team-best 13 runs and Alex Raske (Chicago, Ill.) has amassed team-highs in doubles (4), walks (4) and RBIs (11). … Carter has accounted for SMU's one home run this season, belting a first-inning, solo shot against Iowa Wesleyan on March 5. … Thelen had a season-high eight-game hitting streak snapped with an 0-for-2 Game 2 against UW-River Falls on March 17. The junior was hit by a pitch in the fifth inning, however, and has now reached base safely in nine straight games. … Thelen and Boissiere also own 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.) accounting for five of the six steals. … Kayla Peterson (Lewiston, Minn.) heads into the Cardinals' conference-opener against Augsburg with a 6-3 record and a 4.15 ERA. She has thrown 52.0 of the team's 72.2 innings, walking just seven, while striking out 31. … Carter tossed 1.1 innings of two-hit, shutout ball in the Cardinals' 4-3 win over UW-River Falls on March 17, earning the senior her team-leading second save. Carter has made seven appearances — including six in relief — compiling a 3.05 ERA in 20.2 innings. … SMU has outscored its opponents 11-4 in both the first and second innings, while holding a 14-3 scoring edge in the fourth. On the flip side, the Cardinals have been outscored 18-6 in the fifth and 8-0 in the seventh. … The Cardinals scored a season-high 12 runs in their 12-7 win over Howard Payne on March 7. … Three of SMU's four losses this season have been by one run. … SMU is 6-2 when scoring in the first inning and 5-0 when outhitting its opponent.

Scouting The Augsburg Auggies:
2013 Roster | 2013 Statistics | 2013 Schedule
Four of the Auggies' 10 spring-trip games were decided by one run — including wins over Mount Union (9-8) and McDaniel (3-2), and losses to Otterbein (10-9) and Utica (3-2). … On the flip side, three of the Auggies' six losses in Kissimmee, Fla., were 9-0 setbacks. … Bri Dorale heads into Thursday's conference-opener against Saint Mary's hitting a team-leading .533. She also leads the squad in at-bats (60), hits (32), triples (2), total bases (37), slugging percentage (.617) and on-base percentage (.569). … Dorale has compiled a team-best six three-hit games this season. … Augsburg boasts three players — Lauren Hurley (15), Allyson Ruedy (11) and Kelsey Rorabeck (10) — with 10 or more RBIs. … Augsburg has hit four home runs this season, led by Ruedy with two, while the Auggies' opponents have belted 15 round-trippers through 17 games. … Rorabeck posted a season-high five-RBIs in the Auggies' win over Endicott on March 20. … Augsburg has stolen 26 bases on 28 attempts — led by Dorale, who is 14-for-15. … The Auggies have used six pitchers this season, with Amanda Eaton and Olivia Boerschinger carrying the majority of the work load. Eaton has tossed a team-best 57.0 innings, compiling a 5.04 ERA and a 4-7 record. She also leads the team in appearances (13), complete games (3) and strikeouts (51). Boerschinger, meanwhile, has compiled a 5.12 ERA and a 3-4 record with two complete games in 39.2 innings.