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MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University fastpitch softball team only scored in three innings in its Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference-opener against Augsburg Thursday.

But when they scored, the Cardinals scored in bunches.

The Cardinals erupted for 13 runs — three in the first, four in the third and six in the fourth — in cruising to a 13-3, five-inning victory over Augsburg in the opening game of their conference doubleheader at the Edor Nelson Field Bubble.

SMU had so much fun in Game 1, the Cardinals decided to do it again in the nightcap, plating at least one run in each of the first five innings en route to their second straight 13-run effort — this time a 13-9 sweep-clinching victory.

Alex Raske (Chicago, Ill.) laced an RBI single and Michaela Meredith (Bloomington, Minn.) followed with a two-run single to give SMU a 3-0 advantage in their first at-bat in the opener.

The Cardinals would add four more runs in the third — highlighted by Meredith's second RBI of the game and a two-run single to right-center by Hailey Ohl (Bloomington, Minn.) — only to have Augsburg answer with three runs in the bottom of the fourth to cut the SMU lead to four, 7-3.

That, however, would be as close as the Auggies would get, as SMU broke the game wide open in the fifth, sending 11 batters to the plate en route to a season-high six-run inning. Kristen Thelen (Rochester, Minn.) and Nat Boissiere (Plymouth, Minn.) each delivered two-run singles in the inning to account for four of the Cardinals' six runs. Ohl and Julianne Bartosz (Mokena, Ill.) drove in SMU's other two runs.

Meredith, Ohl and Boissiere ignited SMU's offensive attack, with all three collecting three hits, while every SMU starter recorded at least one hit as the Cardinals tagged two Auggie pitchers for 16 hits.

The Cardinals posted their second straight three-run first inning to open Game 2, before adding three more runs in the second and one in the third to take a 7-0 advantage. Augsburg, however, used a six-run effort in its half of the third to cut the gap to one, 7-6.

SMU got five of those runs back in the fifth, and added another run in the sixth to seal the victory.

Boissiere continued to swing a hot bat, following up her 3-for-4 Game 1 effort with four hits in five at-bats in Game 2. Thelen, Ohl and Paige Carter (Rosemount, Minn.) all added three hits, as SMU recorded its second straight 16-hit attack.

The Cardinals (2-0 MIAC, 9-4 overall) are back in action on Tuesday, as SMU heads to the Rochester (Minn.) Dome for a 5 p.m. conference doubleheader against Bethel.