Box Score  | GameDay Preview

TUCSON, Ariz. — Saint Mary's University fastpitch softball coach Jen Miller has been waiting for her team to piece together all three parts of their game — pitching, hitting and defense.

The wait is over.

The Cardinal erupted for four second-inning runs and never game up the lead in cruising to a 6-3-nonconference victory over Howard Payne Saturday morning.

“We played our best game of the season,” Miller said. “We pitched well, hit well and played great defense. I'm really happy with how we performed today.”

Kayla Peterson (Lewiston, Minn.) was solid on the mound, allowing seven hits, striking out three and not walking a batter.

“Kayla did a great job of hitting spots and keeping their hitters off balance,” Miller said. “She was definitely one of our big leaders today.”

Nat Boissiere (Plymouth, Minn.) went 4-for-4 with two runs scored, while Kristen Thelen (Rochester, Minn.) was 3-for-4 with a run scored. Paige Carter (Rosemount, Minn.) and Alex Raske (Chicago, Ill.) both chipped in with two hits, while Raske also drove in three runs.

“We looked confident at the plate and really hit well today,” Miller said. “If we can continue to play like we did today, we are going to have a successful season.”


The Cardinals surrendered a pair of runs in the top of the first, but the Cardinals answered getting an RBI single from Raske in the bottom of the first, before scoring four times in the second — highlighted by Raske's two-run triple.

SMU pushed its advantage to 6-2 with a solo run in the fourth, with Howard Payne managing one run in the sixth to round out the scoring.

The Cardinals (4-3 overall) complete their spring trip on Sunday, squaring off against Marian at 8 a.m. and Chatham at 10 a.m.