Box Score 1 | Box Score 2  | GameDay Preview

NORTHFIELD, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University fastpitch softball team had its offense kicked into high gear in the opening game of their Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference doubleheader against St. Olaf Tuesday afternoon.

Unfortunately for the Cardinals, that high-octane offense ran out of gas in Game 2, as SMU — which erupted for eight runs in a five-inning, 8-0 win over the Oles in the opener — managed just a fourth-inning tally in the nightcap, falling to St. Olaf 3-1 on a two-run, walk-off home run in the bottom of the seventh inning.

The Cardinals, looking to solidify one of the top seeds in this weekend's conference tournament in Mankato, Minn., opened the scoring in Game 1 with an unearned run in the third inning, then added three runs in the fourth and four more in the fifth to ice the lopsided victory.

That third-inning run was all the Cardinals really needed with Kayla Peterson (Lewiston, Minn.) on the mound, as the senior right-handed tossed a complete-game three-hitter, walking two and striking out four in recording her 12th win of the season.

Hailey Ohl (Bloomington, Minn.) went 4-for-4 with three RBIs and three runs scored to pace the Cardinals' 13-hit attack in the opener, while Alex Raske (Chicago, Ill.), Nat Boissiere (Plymouth, Minn.), Anna Ramboldt (Goodhue, Minn.) and Julie Bartosz (Mokena, Ill.) all chipped in two hits.

Coach Jen Miller probably wished she could have carried a few of those hits over to the second game, as the Oles limited SMU to five hits — including an RBI single by Ramboldt in the fourth that tied the game at 1-1.

The game would remain deadlocked until the bottom of the seventh, when Mackenzie Wolter drew a one-out walk, and, after Peterson got Becca Walz to pop out to second, Jessica Wilson delivered a two-run, walk-off home run to earn St. Olaf the split.

SMU's five hits in the nightcap came from five different players — Boissiere, Ramboldt, Kristen Thelen (Rochester, Minn.), Paige Carter (Rosemount, Minn.) and Micaela Meredith (Bloomington, Minn.).

The Cardinals (11-9 MIAC, 18-13 overall) close out their regular-season on Wednesday, hosting Carleton in a 4 p.m. conference doubleheader, before heading to Mankato, Minn., for the MIAC Tournament beginning Friday.