Box Score 1 | Box Score 2  | GameDay Preview

ST. PETER, Minn. — After being held to just four hits and one run in falling to Gustavus 5-1 and 8-0 in the teams' Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference doubleheader on Saturday, the Cardinals appeared to be mired in yet another offensive deep-freeze against St. Olaf on Sunday.
 
Fortunately for SMU and coach Jen Miller, that all changed in the sixth inning.
 
Held scoreless on five hits through the opening five innings of their twinbill against the Oles, the Cardinals' bats finally came to life, scoring two runs in the sixth and another in the seventh en route to a 3-0 conference win.
 
And the Cardinals were just getting warmed up.
 
SMU scored three runs in each of its first two at-bats in the nightcap and cruised to a sweep-clinching 10-3 victory.
 
"It was good to see us get the bats going a bit," said Miller. "It took us a little while to make a few adjustments at the plate, but once we did, we really swung it.
 
"Alex (Raske) and Kristen (Thelen) really played well — both offensively and defensively," Miller added. "They made some huge plays for us defensively, and I think our offense fed off that a bit.
 
"We needed an effort like today's — it was a big two wins."
 
Micaela Meredith (Bloomington, Minn.) and Toni Hunsinger (Farmington, Minn.) provided the offensive spark for the Cardinals in Game 1, delivering back-to-back one-out RBI singles to break a 0-0 deadlock, and Ashley Betzold (Farmington, Minn.) pushed the advantage to 3-0 with a seventh-inning sacrifice fly.
 
And three runs was more than enough with Betzold in the pitcher's circle.
 
Betzold limited the Oles to just two hits — singles in the second and sixth inning — while walking two and striking out five in recording her second colleigate complete-game shutout.
 
Alex Raske (Chicago, Ill.) went 3-for-3, while Emily Nelson (Maplewood, Minn.) chipped in two hits in three at-bats to ignite the Cardinals' nine-hit Game 1 attack.
 
Raske continued her red-hot hitting in the nightcap, going 2-for-4 with five RBIs, including the Cardinals' second home run of the season — a three-run shot in the second inning that pushed SMU's lead to 6-0 in the second.
 
St. Olaf cut the Cardinal advantage in half with three runs in the bottom of the second, but SMU regained control, adding two runs in the fifth and single runs in the sixth and seventh to ice the win — and the sweep.
 
Kristen Thelen (Rochester, Minn.) fueled SMU's 13-hit Game 2 attack, going 4-for-4 and scoring four runs, while Betzold and Kathi Opsahl (Elk River, Minn.) each added two hits.
 
Jess Wirz (Eau Claire, Wis.) went the first four innings to earn the pitching win, allowing three runs on two hits, while Betzold threw three scoreless innings in relief to collect her second save of the season.
 
The Cardinals (2-2 MIAC, 6-8 overall) are scheduled to return to play on Tuesday — weather permitting — as SMU kicks off the home portion of its schedule with a 3:30 p.m. conference doubleheader against Carleton.