WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University fastpitch softball team returns to Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play on Monday, as the Cardinals host Gustavus in a doubleheader at the Saint Mary's Field. First pitch is slated for 2:30 p.m.
The Matchup:• Saint Mary's Cardinals (2-2 MIAC | 8-8 Overall) vs. Gustavus Gusties (3-1 MIAC | 13-9 Overall), 3:30 p.m.
GameDay Live On The Web:•
Live Stats | GameDay Program
Last Action:•
Saint Mary's: The Cardinals drop both of their conference games against Bethel last Thursday at the Saint Mary's Field. The Royals held off a late Saint Mary's rally to win the opener 8-7, then completed the sweep with a 3-1 win in the nightcap |
Recap•
Gustavus: Thanks to the combined pitching performances of Sarah Rozell, Jena Willis, and Hannah Heacox, Gustavus was able earn its first league sweep of the year Saturday, beating Concordia 4-1 and 4-0 in St. Peter, Minn. |
Recap Saint Mary's vs. Gustavus—Their Last Meeting:•
March 29, 2014: Gustavus used a pair of big innings—a four-run fourth and a five-run fifth—as the Gusties dealt Saint Mary's 5-1 and 8-0 setbacks in the teams' Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference opener in St. Peter, Minn. |
Recap Up Next:•
Saint Mary's: The Cardinals hit the road on Wednesday, traveling to St. Paul, Minn., for a 3:30 p.m. MIAC doubleheader against nationally ranked and defending conference champion St. Thomas.
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Gustavus: The Gusties are back on their home diamond on Wednesday, hosting St. Catherine in a 3:30 p.m. conference doubleheader in St. Peter, Minn.
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:2015 Roster |
2015 Statistics |
2015 Schedule• Monday's DH against Gustavus is the Cardinals' second straight home doubleheader. … Last Thursday's 8-7 Game 1 loss to Bethel was the Cardinals' ninth one-run game of the season. … Five of the Cardinals' eight losses have been by one run—including a 10-inning, 8-7 loss to Saint Vincent College and a 5-4 setback against sixth-ranked Trine. …
Stanzy Snyder (Johnston, Iowa) went 3-for-4, while
Alex Raske (Chicago, Ill.),
Allie Borawski (Stickney, Ill.), and
Mariah Harper (Schaumburg, Ill.) all had two hits in the opener vs. Bethel last Thursday. Borawski also drove in a career-high three runs. … Raske scored twice in the first game against Bethel last Thursday and has now scored at least one run in 10 of the team's 16 games—including eight times in Saint Mary's last five contests. … Snyder enters Monday's doubleheader against Gustavus owning a team-leading .404 batting average. She is one of three Cardinals hitting above .300—
Kathi Opsahl (Elk River, Minn. / .365) and Raske (.315) are the other two. … Snyder and Opsahl share the team lead with 19 hits each, while Snyder also boasts team-highs in doubles (7), triples (2), total bases (30), slugging percentage (.638), walks (9) and on-base percentage (.509). … Raske has scored a team-best 16 runs, while Opsahl is the team's RBI leader with 18. … After failing to hit a home run in their first 12 games, the Cardinals launched two against Carleton on March 31. Betzold and Raske launched round-trippers vs. the Knights—Betzold clubbing a two-run Game 1 shot, while Raske blasting a three-run shot in Game 2. … Betzold's home run was the first of her collegiate career. … Opsahl has collected at least two hits in seven of the Cardinals' 16 games, while also amassing five multiple-RBI games. … Opsahl's five RBIs in Game 2 vs. Carleton on March 31 marked the second time in her collegiate career the sophomore has driven in five runs in a game. … Snyder is currently riding a six-game hitting streak, while
Brittney Birkhauser (Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.) has reached base safely in eight consecutive games. … Betzold—who tossed a pair of complete games against Bethel last Thursday—has been the Cardinals' workhorse in the pitcher's circle, logging 86.0 innings. The sophomore right-hander has compiled a 6-7 record and a 2.44 ERA in a team-high 14 appearances. … Betzold has thrown nine complete games in 11 starts with a team-best 42 strikeouts. …
Katie Homan—who notched her first collegiate pitching win with a complete-game three-hitter in a 4-1 win over Misericordia on March 2—is 2-1 with a 2.55 ERA in 22 IP. … The Cardinals have outscored their opponents in four of the first five innings, but have been outscored 26-19 after the fifth inning. … The Cardinals have held their opponents to two runs or less in six of their eight wins. … Saint Mary's scored a season-high 14 runs in its 14-5, six-inning victory over Carleton on March 31. It was the second time this season the Cardinals have plated 10 or more runs—having also scored 13 in a season-opening 13-1 win over Wartburg on Feb. 21. … Saint Mary's 14-5, six-inning Game 2 victory over Carleton last Tuesday was its second win shortened by the eight-run rule.
Scouting The Gustavus Gusties:2015 Roster |
2015 Statistics |
2015 Schedule• With the sweep of Concordia Friday, the Gusties have now won four of their last five. … Gustavus has outscored its opponents 43-13 in its last five games. … GAC has been held to three runs or less in seven of its nine losses. … The Gusties' 4-0 Game 2 win over Concordia Friday was their third shutout of the season—GAC also blanked Saint Benedict (8-0) and Chaminade (2-0). … Carly Klass enters Monday's showdown against Saint Mary's boasting a team-leading .414 batting average. … Klass is one of seven Gustie regulars who are hitting above .300. … Klass also leads the team in hits (24), home runs (4), total bases (42), slugging percentage (.724) and on-base percentage (.443). … Kailey Morgan (.317) has belted a team-high five doubles, one more than Klass and Shelby Bicek, while Bicek has equaled Klass with four home runs and a team-leading 22 RBIs. … Shelby Nosan has been walked a team-high 15 times. … Nosan, Bicek, and Klass all share the team lead with six multiple-hit games. … Klass and Bicek have put together four multiple-RBI contests. … Bicek drove in a season-high eight runs with a 3-for-4 performance—including two home runs—in Game 1 against the University of Dubuque on March 29. … The Gusties have relied on four pitchers to carry the load this season. Sarah Rozell (3-5, 4.57 ERA) has logged a team-high 49.0 IP, while Jena Willis (4-3, 1.55 ERA) is close behind with 40.2 IP. … Willis has made a team-leading 14 appearances—10 in relief—while Hannah Heacox (4-1, 2.14 ERA) shares the team lead in wins (4) with Willis and has tossed a team-high five complete games. … As a staff, the Gusties have struck out 120 batters, led by Heacox with 57. … GAC has outscored its opponents 15-5 in the first inning, 21-19 in the second, and 8-0 in the eighth. … Gustavus is 9-0 when scoring six or more runs—the Gusties plated a season-high 14 runs in a 14-6 Game 2 win over the University of Dubuque on March 29. … The Gusties are 10-0 when leading after the sixth inning.
