ROCHESTER, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota fastpitch softball team—coming off an 8-2 showing during its 10-game spring trip to Clermont, Fla.—is back in action this weekend, squaring off against the University of Dubuque, UW-River Falls, Martin Luther and Millikin in the Luther Tournament at the Rochester Dome
 
The Matchups:
Friday, March 4, 2015 * Rochester Dome * Rochester, Minn.
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (8-2 Overall) vs. University of Dubuque Spartans (0-2 Overall), 6:30 p.m.
Friday, March 4, 2015 * Rochester Dome * Rochester, Minn.
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (8-2 Overall) vs. UW-River Falls Falcons (1-3 Overall), 8:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 5, 2015 * Rochester Dome * Rochester, Minn.
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (8-2 Overall) vs. Martin Luther Knights (0-4 Overall), 10 a.m.
Saturday, March 5, 2015 * Rochester Dome * Rochester, Minn.
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (8-2 Overall) vs. Millikin Big Blue (0-0 Overall), Noon
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals are coming off an 8-2 showing during its 10-game spring trip to Clermont, Fla. | Day 1 Recap * Day 2 Recap * Day 3 Recap * Day 4 Recap * Day 5 Recap
• University of Dubuque: The Spartans dropped a pair of nonconference games at the Rochester (Minn.) Dome last Saturday, falling to St. Catherine 5-0 and Saint Benedict 7-6 | Recap
• UW-River Falls: The Falcons went 1-3 in their four games at the Luther Dome Games in Rochester, Minn., beating Martin Luther 10-1, while falling to St. Catherine (8-0), Carleton (7-3), and Gustavus (11-6) | Day 1 Recap * Day 2 Recap
• Martin Luther: The Knights dropped all four of their games at the Rochester (Minn.) Dome last weekend, falling to Hamline (11-3) and UW-River Falls (10-1) last Friday, before falling to UW-Stevens Point (8-1) and UW-La Crosse (14-1) a day later | HU/UWRF Recap * UWSP/UWL Recap
• Millikin: This weekend's games are the 2016 season-openers for the Big Blue
 
Saint Mary's vs. UW-River Falls—Their Last Meeting:
• UW-River Falls erupted for five runs in the fifth inning in beating the Cardinals 6-1 in the opener of their nonconference doubleheader at the Rochester (Minn.) Dome, but the Cardinals turned in the tables, scoring twice in the fourth and once in the fifth to beat UW-RF 4-2 and earn the split | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Millikin—Their Last Meeting:
• March 28, 2002 * St. Louis, Mo.: The Cardinals scored a pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth inning in handing Millikin a 2-0 nonconference setback | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Martin Luther, University of Dubuque—Their Last Meeting:
• This weekend's nonconference games will be the first in program history between the Cardinals and both Martin Luther and the University of Dubuque
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: x
• University of Dubuque: After this weekend's games, the Spartans are off until March 13, when they kick off their 10-game spring trip in Kissimmee, Fla., against Lesley University and Rowan.
• UW-River Falls: The Falcons head to Clermont, Fla., for 10 spring trip games, beginning March 13 against North Park and Anderson University
• Martin Luther: The Knights head to Plymouth, Minn., on March 18, squaring off against Maranatha Baptist (twice) and North Central (Minn.) as part of the NCU Tournament.
• Millikin: The Big Blue are back in action next Friday, heading to Greenville, Ill., for a nonconference doubleheader against Greenville College.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2016 Roster | 2016 Statistics | 2016 Schedule
• The Cardinals opened the season with five straight wins, before closing out their spring trip going 3-2 in their final five spring trip contests. … Five of Saint Mary's eight wins have been shortened to six innings or less by the eight-run rule. … Saint Mary's has allowed just 14 runs in its eight wins this season—including three shutout victories. … Both of the Cardinals' losses have been by two runs—5-3 vs. Otterbein and 4-2 vs. Neumann. … As a team, the Cardinals hit .344 during its 10-game spring trip, led by Mariah Harper (Schaumburg, Ill.)—who hit a team-leading .625. … Harper was one of three Cardinals who left Clermont, Fla., hitting above .400—Stanzy Snyder (Johnston, Iowa) and Katie Krull (Rochester, Minn.) were the others, boasting .484 and .429 batting averages. … Harper heads into this weekend's games leading the team in runs (11), doubles (5), triples (2), RBIs (9), total bases (24), slugging percentage (1.000), and on-base percentage. … Harper and Snyder share the team lead in hits with 15, two more than Kathi Opsahl (Elk River, Minn.). … Saint Mary's belted a pair of home runs in its 8-0 win over John Carroll on Feb. 28—Brittney Birkhauser (Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.) launched a three-run shot, and Krull delivered a grand slam. … Harper has recorded a team-high six multiple-hit games, while Opsahl has five and Snyder four. … Birkhauser owns a team-leading four multiple-RBI games. … Harper hit safely in each of the Cardinals' first seven games and has had at least one hit in nine of their first 10 games. … Harper has reached base safely in all 10 games this season. … The Cardinals have used four different pitchers this season, led by Ashley Betzold (Farmington, Minn.), who has logged a team-high 34.2 innings, compiling a 1.01 ERA and a 5-1 record. … Betzold has made a team-high six starts and has tossed a team-leading five complete games. … Abbey Killian (Fountain City, Wis. / 2-1, 2.50 ERA) has thrown two complete games in her three starts, including her second collegiate three-hitter against Wartburg on Feb. 28. … Saint Mary's has outscored its opponents 13-0 in the first inning, while holding a 27-1 scoring edge in the fourth and 10-1 advantage in the fifth. … The Cardinals have held their opponents to two runs or less in six of their 10 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 University of Dubuque Spartans:
2016 Roster | 2016 Statistics | 2016 Schedule
• Dubuque is coming off a 16-28 season in 2015, highlighted by a 7-3 win over third-seeded Simpson in the opening round of the IIAC post-season tournament. … The Spartans' 19-player 2016 roster including a combined 13 freshmen and sophomores. … The Spartans' game against Saint Mary's Friday is the third of five  games against teams from the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. … Gianna Kuras led the Spartans' offense in its first two games this season, going 3-for-7 (.429). … Country Markin (.375) shares the team lead in hits (3) with three, while also delivering a double—the Spartans' lone extra-base hit. … Dubuque has not attempted a stolen base this season, while the Spartans' opponents are a perfect 6-for-6. … UD has already used five pitchers through two games this season, led by Randee Jackson (0-0, 3.32 ERA), who has logged 6.1 innings, while Taylor Blair (0-0, 2.33) and Megan Schueter (0-1, 7.00 ERA) have each tossed three innings. … Jackson has accounted for five of the pitching staff's seven strikeouts. … Dubuque has scored three of its six runs in the first inning. … The Spartans have been outscored 8-3 after the game's opening frame.
 
Scouting The UW-River Falls Falcons:
2016 Roster | 2016 Statistics | 2016 Schedule
• Friday's game against Saint Mary's will be the Falcons' fourth against teams from the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. UW-River Falls has already lost to St. Catherine (8-0), Carleton (7-3), and Gustavus (11-6). … UW-River Falls plays its first 22 games on the road this season—the Falcons do not open their home season until April 13, when they host UW-Eau Claire. … Shannan Borchardt has been the Falcons' team-leader thus far this season, hitting a team-best .462, while also leading the squad in hits (6), doubles (3), RBIs (4), total bases (9), and slugging percentage (.692). … Katie Thompson and Alyana Ledwein have scored a team-high four runs this season. … UW-River Falls has recorded six extra-bases hits—all doubles—with Borchardt accounting for half of them. … Thompson heads into this weekend's games having collected at least one hit in all four games, while Borchardt is riding a three-game hitting streak. … The Falcons have used five different pitchers through four games, led by Payton Speckel (1-1, 8.59 ERA), who has thrown a team-best 7.1 innings in two starts. … Emma Steiner (0-1, 4.50 ERA) and Michelle LaCasse (0-1, 12.60 ERA) have tossed 6.0 and 5.0. … Speckel has recorded 11 of the pitching staff's 17 strikeouts. …  UW-River Falls has outscored its opponents 7-1 in the second inning, but the Falcons have been outscored 10-2 in the first and 6-0 in the third.
 
Scouting The Martin Luther Knights:
2016 Roster | 2016 Statistics | 2016 Schedule  
• The Knights head into this weekend's games at the Rochester (Minn.) Dome still searching for their first win of the season. … Martin Luther, which opened the season with an 11-3 loss to Hamline, has scored just one run in each of its last three games. … The Knights have been outscored 43-6 through four games this season. … Martin Luther's seven hits in its last two games have come from seven different players, while Kayla Rosenbaum scored the team's lone run vs. both UW-Stevens Point and UW-La Crosse. … Martin Luther is coming off a 13-18 record a year ago and a fifth-place finish in the UMAC.
 
Scouting The Millikin Big Blue:
2016 Roster | 2016 Statistics | 2016 Schedule
• The Big Blue are coming off a 13-22 season a year ago, including a 5-9 record in CCIW play. … Alyssa Voegele led the team with a .342 batting average a year ago, while sharing the team lead in hits (40) with Alyssa Visvardis. … Visvardis also led the team in runs (30), and doubles (9). … Voegele hit a team-best nine home runs an owned a team-high 35 RBIs, while also sporting a .547 slugging percentage. … As a team, Millikin stole 31 bases in 39 attempts, led by Visvardis and Heather Doyle with seven each. … Cathy Lebryk threw a team-high 138.2 innings, compiling a 9-12 record and a 4.09 ERA. … Lebryk appeared in 28 of the Big Blue's 38 games, recording 13 complete games and striking out a team-leading 64 batters.