CLERMONT, Fla. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota fastpitch softball team failed to score runs in five of the six innings it batted in the Cardinals' nonconference game against Houghton Thursday morning.
Fortunately for coach
Jen Miller, it only took one at-bat for the Cardinals to plate enough runs for the victory, as Saint Mary's scored all five of its runs in the bottom of the fifth inning in beating the Highlanders 5-2.
The Cardinals picked up right where they left off in their second game of the day, using yet another big innings—this time a six-run second—in cruising to an 11-3, six-inning victory over Johnson State.
After spotting Houghton a single run in the top of the second—while managing just one hit through the first four innings—the Cardinals' offense finally came to life in the fifth. Marah Harper (Schaumburg, Ill.) and
Brittney Birkhauser (Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.) each delivered RBI doubles—Harper's a two-run shot—while
Kathi Opsahl (Elk River, Minn.) added a run-scoring single in the Cardinals' five-hit, five-run fifth.
The Cardinals' six hits against the Highlanders came from six different players, while
Ashley Betzold (Farmington, Minn.) limited Houghton to just two runs—one earned—on three hits. The junior right-hander also walked five and struck out eight in improving to 2-0.
Saint Mary's gave starting pitcher
Kali Aldrich (Rochester, Minn.) plenty of run support against Johnson State, scoring in every inning but the first and fifth—including a six-run second.
The Cardinals scored six times on just two hits—a two-run single by Birkhauser, followed by a two-out single by Betzold—while taking advantage of three Badger errors.
Johnson State cut into the Saint Mary's lead by scoring once in the second and twice more in the third to make it a 7-3 game, but the Cardinals answered with two runs in both the fourth and sixth—
Tessa Kuschke (Grant, Minn.) drove in one run in the fourth, while
Allie Borawski (Stickney, Ill.) plated both sixth-inning runs with a two-out double to right—to seal the win.
For the second time in as many games on Thursday, the Cardinals were limited to six hits against the Badgers—with all six coming from different players.
Aldrich picked up the pitching win, scattering six hits and allowing three runs—one earned—in five innings, with
Amber Trendle pitching a hitless sixth.
The Cardinals (4-0 overall) are now off until Saturday, when they square off against Southwestern at 9 a.m. EST and Otterbein at 11 a.m. EST.
