MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University baseball is back in Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play on Tuesday, as the Cardinals travel to Parade Stadium for a 2:30 p.m. doubleheader against Augsburg.
 
The Matchup:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (6-5 MIAC | 10-18 Overall) at Augsburg Auggies (4-8 MIAC | 10-16 Overall)
 
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Live Stats
 
Last Action:
The Cardinals could not dig out of an 8-1 hole in falling to Luther 11-7 in a nine-inning nonconference game in Decorah, Iowa, Monday. … The Auggies have been off since last Saturday, when Augsburg picked up a pair of 5-1 MIAC wins over St. Olaf at Parade Stadium in Minneapolis, Minn.
 
SMU vs. Augsburg — A Year Ago:
May 5, 2013: Entering their showdown with the Auggies, the Cardinals had played three extra-inning games this season — winning all three. Make that all four — and five. SMU scored a pair of runs in the top of the eighth inning in both games, as the Cardinals earned a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference sweep of the Auggies, winning 7-5 and 2-0 at St. Thomas' Koch Diamond in St. Paul, Minn.
 
Up Next:
The Cardinals head to Midway Stadium in St Paul, Minn., on Tuesday, as SMU concludes its suspended game April 2 against Hamline with the score tied 9-9 heading to the 10th inning. Following the completion of that game, the two teams will square off in a nine-inning nonconference game. … Augsburg is back at Parade Stadium on Wednesday, hosting Bethel in a 2:30 p.m. conference doubleheader.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2014 Roster | 2014 Statistics | 2014 Schedule
Monday's game against Luther was the first of three straight road contests for the Cardinals. … The Cardinals picked up their first conference sweep of the season with last Saturday's 13-3, 10-5 wins over Macalester. … SMU has won the first game in five of its six conference doubleheaders this season. … The Cardinals' 13 runs in Game 1 against Macalester were a season high, while the 13 runs in the opener and 10 runs in Game 2 marked the first time since beating Illinois Institute of Technology 12-4 and 15-4 on March 8, 2013 that SMU has scored 10 or more runs in both games of a doubleheader. … The Cardinals head into Tuesday's showdown against Augsburg having won three of their last five games. … Willie Doll (Amherst, Wis.) and Tyler Lursen (Maple Grove, Minn.) each collected three hits in SMU's nine-inning loss to Luther Monday. … Lursen has now recorded back-to-back three-hit games, having collected three hits — all doubles — in Game 2 against Macalester last Saturday. … Ben Buerkle (Roseville, Minn.), who had his season-opening 20-game hit streak snapped in Game 2 against Gustavus on April 12, had two hits against Luther Monday and has now hit safely in 26 of the 28 games he's played in. The freshman has also reached base safely in all 28 games. … Buerkle's 20-game hit streak was SMU's longest since Brady Knudsen hit safely in 21 straight games during the 2008 season. … Buerkle owns a team-leading .388 batting average. The freshman also leads or shares the team lead in runs (22), triples (2), RBIs (23) and slugging percentage (.551). … Doll, who pushed his batting average to .342 with his three hits Monday, is the team-leader in at-bats (114), hits (39), doubles (13), triples (2), total bases (59) and stolen bases (17). … Doll's 4-for-5 showing against St. Thomas on April 15 was the sixth four-hit game of the season. Buerkle, Miley, Gannon, Pat Krieger (Mendota Heights, Minn.) and Steph Scatassa (Westchester, Ill.) have also put together four-hit single-game performances this season. It was the first collegiate four-hit game for all six. … Doll belted his first home run of the season — and fifth of his career — in the sixth inning against the Norse. … Doll became the fifth different Cardinal to hit a home run this season. Buerkle, Lursen and Kevin Miley (St. Paul, Minn.) have all collected Game 2 home runs this season — Buerkle against St. Thomas, Lursen against Carleton and Miley vs. Hamline — while Zach Wolfe (Wabasha, Minn.) delivered a three-run shot against Concordia-Chicago on March 6. … Doll leads the team with 12 multiple-hit games this season. … Buerkle is the team's leader in multiple-RBI games with seven, one more than Miley … Doll and Gannon are the only two Cardinals to have started all 29 games this season. … Ben Johnson (Brooklyn Park, Minn.) collected his team-leading third pitching win of the season with a seven-hit, complete-game performance against Macalester last Saturday. … The complete game was Johnson's team-high second of the season. … Johnson has now logged a team-leading 37 1/3 innings, compiling a 3-2 record and a 3.86 ERA. … Ben Dobosenski (Westmont, Ill.) tossed his first collegiate complete game against Gustavus on April 12. … Scatassa picked up his first pitching win of the season against Saint John's on April 6, going 5 2/3 innings, allowing two runs on four hits. … Scatassa (1-2, 5.13 ERA) is second to Johnson in innings pitched with 33 1/3, while also leading the team with 27 strikeouts. … Johnson, Dobosenski and Chris Bartosz (Woodridge, Ill.) all recorded their first collegiate pitching wins during SMU's spring trip to Tucson, Ariz. … SMU's Game 1 win over the Gusties on April 12 was its second shutout victory of the season — the Cardinals also blanked Hamline 6-0 on April 2. … The Cardinals have scored four or more runs in 20 of their 29 games. … The Cardinals have scored first in nine of their 10 wins. … SMU is 8-0 when leading after the sixth inning.
 
Scouting The Augsburg Auggies:
2014 Roster | 2014 Statistics | 2014 Schedule
Augsburg's 5-1 Game 1 win over St. Olaf Saturday snapped the Auggies' seven-game losing streak. … All seven of Augsburg's losses during their seven-game slide were by two runs or less — including three games decided in extra innings. … Gordon Kappers went 4-for-7 with two doubles and a pair of RBIs in the Auggies' sweep of St. Olaf last Saturday. … Augsburg out-hit the Oles 22-10 — 10-4 in Game 1 and 12-6 in Game 2 — while Auggie pitchers combined to strike out 16 and surrender just one walk in 16 innings. … Rhett Hebig owns a team-leading .372 batting average and is one of seven Auggies who are hitting above .300. … Hebig also shares the team lead in hits (32) with Abe Welckle and RBIs (16) with Andrew Douglas. … Welckle boasts team-highs in runs (17) and doubles (7), while Kappers has a team-high 102 at-bats and shares the team lead in stolen bases (4) with Adam Carl. … Hebig has hit the Auggies' lone home run, a two-run, seventh-inning shot against Gustavus on April 9. … Kappers boasts a team-leading 10 multiple-hit games, one more than both Weickle and Hebig, and Douglas has amassed a team-best five multiple RBI games — including the Auggies' only four-RBI effort. … Tanner Oakes has collected four of the team's 10 pitching wins, while also compiling a 3.61 ERA with three complete games in six starts. … Oakes has thrown a team-leading 42 1/3 innings, while Steven Piette (2-3, 1.86 ERA) boasts a team-high 25 strikeouts, leads the team with eight appearances — all in relief — and has accounted for the Auggies' lone save. … Augsburg has outscored its opponents 24-8 in the fifth inning. … The Auggies are 10-2 when leading after six and are 5-1 when scoring in the first inning. … Augsburg has played in six extra-inning games this season, going 2-4. … Augsburg has held its opponents to five runs or less in nine of its 10 wins this season.