WINONA, Minn. — After 14 road games, the Saint Mary's University of Minnesota fastpitch softball team kicks off the home portion of its 2016 schedule on Tuesday, hosting seventh-ranked Luther in a 3 p.m. nonconference doubleheader at the Saint Mary's Field.
The Matchup:• Saint Mary's Cardinals (11-3 Overall) vs. #7 Luther Norse (19-1 Overall)
GameDay Live On The Web:•
Live Stats |
GameDay Program Last Action:• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals went 3-1 at the Luther Tournament on March 4-5 at the Rochester (Minn.) Dome, beating the University of Dubuque (8-0), UW-River Falls (11-6), and Martin Luther (6-2), before falling to Millikin (5-2) |
UD Recap *
UW-RF Recap *
MLC Recap *
Millikin Recap• Luther: The Norse completed a perfect 12-0 Florida spring trip with a 5-0 victory over Middlebury last Sunday |
Recap Saint Mary's vs. Luther—Their Last Meeting:• April 28, 2015 * Decorah, Iowa:
Stanzy Snyder (Johnston, Iowa) delivered a two-out single to score
Alex Raske (Chicago, Ill.) from second, breaking a 4-4 tie in the top of the seventh inning—and
Abbey Killian (Fountain City, Wis.) completed her first collegiate complete game with a scoreless seventh—in leading the Cardinals to a 5-4 victory in the second game of the teams' nonconference doubleheader. Luther, using a six-run second and a three-run fifth, kicked off the day with a 9-5 victory |
Recap Up Next:• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals are right back on the Saint Mary's Field on Saturday, hosting St. Catherine in the teams' Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference opener. First pitch in the MIAC twinbill is set for 1 p.m.
• Luther: The Norse return to action this weekend, traveling to Eau Claire, Wis., for a nonconference doubleheader against UW-Eau Claire, before heading to Stevens Point, Wis., on Sunday for a pair of games against UW-Stevens Point.
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals: 2016 Roster |
2016 Statistics |
2016 Schedule• Wednesday's doubleheader against Luther is the first of three straight home dates for the Cardinals, who play four of their next five DHs at the Saint Mary's Field. … The Cardinals have put together winning streaks of five and three (twice) and have not lost back-to-back games this season. … Six of the Cardinals' 14 games have been shortened to six innings or less by the eight-run rule. … Saint Mary's has allowed just 22 runs in its 11 wins this season—including four shutout victories. … Two of the Cardinals' three losses have been by two runs—5-3 vs. Otterbein and 4-2 vs. Neumann. Saint Mary's other loss was a 5-2 decision to Millikin. …
Brittney Birkhauser (Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.) went 7-for-12 (.583) with three runs scored, while
Ashley Betzold (Farmington, Minn.) hit .545 (6-for-11) with five runs scored in the Cardinals' four games at the Luther Tournament on March 4-5. … As a team, the Cardinals are hitting .347 through 14 games, led by
Mariah Harper (Schaumburg, Ill. / .576),
Stanzy Snyder (Johnston, Iowa / .444), and Betzold (.390). … Snyder owns a team-high 20 hits, one more than Harper, while Birkhauser owns a team-high 15 runs scored. … Harper leads or shares the team lead in doubles (5), triples (2), total bases (28), slugging percentage (.848), and on-base percentage (.632). … Saint Mary's boasts four players with 10 or more RBIs, led by Birkhauser with 14. … Saint Mary's has hit a pair of home runs this season, both coming in its 8-0 win over John Carroll on Feb. 28—Birkhauser launched a three-run shot, and
Katie Krull (Rochester, Minn.) delivered a grand slam. … Harper has recorded a team-high eight multiple-hit games. … Birkhauser owns a team-leading five multiple-RBI games. … Harper hit safely in each of the Cardinals' first seven games and has had at least one hit in 11 of their first 14 games. … Harper has reached base safely in 13 of the Cardinals' 14 games this season. … The Cardinals have used four different pitchers this season, led by Betzold, who has logged a team-high 46-1 innings, compiling a 7-1 record and 0.76 ERA. … Betzold has made a team-high eight starts, has tossed a team-leading six complete games, and has struck out 40 batters…
Abbey Killian (Fountain City, Wis. / 3-1, 2.15 ERA) has thrown three complete games in her four starts, including her second collegiate three-hitter against Wartburg on Feb. 28. … Saint Mary's has outscored its opponents 21-4 in the first inning, while holding a 30-4 scoring edge in the fourth and 10-2 advantage in the fifth. … The Cardinals have held their opponents to two runs or less in eight of their 14 games. … The Cardinals' 18 wins a year ago marked the third time in the last four years that they have reached the 18-win mark. It's the most victories since Saint Mary's went 23-18 during the 2011 season.
Scouting The Luther Norse: 2016 Roster |
2016 Statistics |
2016 Schedule• The Norse head into Tuesday's nonconference doubleheader against Saint Mary's ranked No. 7 in the latest NFCA Top 25. … Fueled by their 12-0 showing in Florida, the Norse are currently riding a 17-game winning streak. … Luther's lone loss this season was a 3-1 decision to St. Catherine on Feb. 28. … As a team, Luther is hitting .387 through 20 games, and boasts four players—Lindsey Uphoff (.500), Ashley Burrows (.456), Megan Bonnett (.429), and Sara Nelson (.400)—who are hitting .400 or better. … Along with her team-leading .500 batting average, Uphoff also leads the Norse in at-bats (72), hits (36), and on-base percentage (.514). … Miranda McCay has scored a team-high 24 runs and has accounted for three of the team's six triples, while Anna Strien has belted a team-leading seven doubles. … Strien, McCay, and Carli Radil have hit Luther's three home runs. … Luther has seven players who had driven in 10 or more runs, led by Radil with 21. … Uphoff boasts a team-leading 12 multiple-hit games, two more than Burrows, while Radil, McCay, and Natalie Stockman have all put together five multiple-RBI games. … Uphoff is riding a season-high 12-game hitting streak, and McCay has reached base safely in all 20 Luther contests this season. … Samantha Bratland and Amanda Witzib have been the workhorses of the Norse pitching staff, logging 55.0 and 45.2 innings, respectively. … Bratland is 9-0 with a 0.89 ERA, while Witzib is 6-1 and owns a 1.07 ERA. … Bratland has tossed a team-high nine complete games, three more than Witzib, and has struck out a team-best 80 batters. … The Luther pitching staff owns a 0.75 ERA and teams are hitting just .145 against them. … Coach Renae Hartl has led her teams to four Iowa Conference titles (2007, 2011, 2012, 2015), eight NCAA III Regional appearances—including the last seven years in a row—and four National Championships appearances, finishing fifth in 2010, 2012 and 2013 and seventh in 2011. … If the Norse get to 23 wins this season, they will record the 1,000th win in school history. Luther softball started in 1969 and in the past 47 seasons, the teams have posted an overall record of 977-504-1.
