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TUCSON, Ariz. — After scoring just four runs and managing just 10 hits in their two games Wednesday, the Saint Mary's University fastpitch softball team erupted for 19 runs and 30 hits in their two games Thursday.

Unfortunately, the Cardinals managed just one win for their efforts.

Robert Morris scored five times in the bottom of the seventh inning to hand the Cardinals an 8-7 setback in SMU's first game of the afternoon, but Saint Mary's regrouped — and took out their frustrations on Howard Payne — scoring a season-high 12 runs on 19 hits in a 12-7 victory.

“It was tough to lose that first game the way we did, but it was great to see the ladies bounce back and get the win (against Howard Payne),” said SMU coach Jen Miller. “We swung the bats well all day — which was great to see after struggling from the plate a bit (Wednesday in losses to Iowa Wesleyan and DeSales).”

The Cardinals jumped out to a 2-0 first-inning lead against Robert Morris, and used a four-run fourth and another run in the fifth to take a 7-2 advantage into the seventh.

Then disaster struck, as Robert Morris opened the seventh with a walk, and followed with five straight hits and scored five times to earn the come-from-behind victory.

Paige Carter (Rosemount, Minn.) led SMU's 11-hit offensive attack vs. Robert Morris, going 3-for-4 with three RBIs, while Kristen Thelen (Rochester, Minn.), Nat Boissiere (Plymouth, Minn.) and Alex Raske (Chicago, Ill.) all had two hits, with Raske also adding three RBIs.

The Cardinals jumped out to another 7-2 lead against Howard Payne after four innings, with the Yellowjackets making it a one-run game by plating four runs in the top of the fifth.

Unlike against Robert Morris, however, the Cardinals closed the door on Howard Payne — answering the Yellowjackets' four-run inning with four runs of their own in the bottom of the fifth, while adding another run in the sixth to ice the victory.

Carter continued to swing a hot bat for the Cardinals, going 3-for-4 with a pair of RBIs, while Boissiere and Mel Hamilton also added three hits. Hailey Ohl (Bloomington, Minn.) went 2-for-4 with 3 RBIs, with Thelen, Raske and Mariah Harper (Schaumburg, Ill.) chipped in two hits each.

The Cardinals (3-3 overall) are back in action on Saturday, squaring off against Howard Payne in another nonconference game, before closing out their spring trip with games against Marian and Chatham on Sunday.