ST. JOSEPH, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota fastpitch softball team headed into its Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference doubleheader against Saint Benedict having split its last two conference twinbills—with the two wins coming in dramatic, come-from-behind, walk-off fashion in the bottom of the seventh inning.
 
In Game 1 against the Blazers, however, there would be no need for late-inning dramatics—the Cardinals made sure of that, erupting for 13 runs and taking advantage of five Saint Benedict errors in handing the host Blazers a 13-4 setback.
 
Unfortunately, the Cardinals could have used a few of those "left-over" Game 1 runs in the nightcap, as Saint Benedict limited Saint Mary's to just a single second-inning run in earning the conference split with a 3-1 victory.
 
The Cardinals didn't waste any time getting its offense in gear in the opener, scoring three times in their first at-bat—highlighted by an RBI single by Mariah Harper (Schaumburg, Ill.) and a run-scoring double by Brittney Birkhauser (Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.)
 
The lead did not last long, however, as Saint Benedict answered with three runs of its own in the bottom of the first to knot the game at 3-3.
 
Alex Raske (Chicago, Ill.) took matters into her own hands in the second inning, belting her second home run of the season—a solo shot—to give Saint Mary's a 4-3 advantage.
 
And, after CSB knotted things at 4-4 with a single run in the fourth, the Cardinals put the game out of reach in the fifth—taking advantage of three Saint Benedict errors, and a two-run double by Birkhauser, to plate five runs and give Saint Mary's a 9-4 cushion.
 
The Cardinals put an exclamation point on the Game 1 rout in the seventh, parlaying two more Saint Benedict errors, an RBI double by Stanzy Snyder (Johnston, Iowa), and a two-run single by Harper into four more runs—and the lopsided 13-4 victory.
 
Harper led the way for the Cardinals in the opener, going 3-for-4 with two runs scored and three RBIs, while Birkhauser was 2-for-4 with two doubles and three RBIs, and Ashley Betzold (Farmington, Minn.) and Kathi Opsahl (Elk River, Minn.) both chipped in two hits.
 
Saint Benedict scored single runs in the first, second and four innings in the second game, while Saint Mary's lone run came in the top of the second on a run-scoring single by Raske.
 
Opsahl recorded her fourth straight two-hit game in Game 2, while Snyder also picked up a pair of hits for the Cardinals, who finished with nine hits—all singles.
 
The Cardinals (7-7 MIAC, 13-13 overall), who have now split their last three doubleheaders—after going their previous 16 twinbills without a split—are back on the road on Thursday, heading to St. Paul, Minn., for a 3:30 p.m. conference doubleheader against St. Catherine.