WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota fastpitch softball team is back on the field for the second time in as many days on Wednesday, as the Cardinals host Carleton in a 1 p.m. Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference doubleheader at the Saint Mary's Field.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (5-9 MIAC | 16-14 Overall) vs. Carleton Knights (2-10 MIAC | 8-20 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
• Live Stats | GameDay Program
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals dropped a pair of conference games to Bethel on Tuesday, scoring one run in the first inning of Game 1, and one run in the seventh inning of Game 2, in falling to the Royals 4-1 and 7-1 at Ona Orth Athletic Complex in Arden Hills, Minn. | Recap
• Carleton: The Knights collected a conference split in their doubleheader against Concordia on Tuesday, dropping the opener 7-4, before rebounding with a 9-4 win in Game 2 in Northfield, Minn. | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Carleton—Their Last Meeting:
• March 31, 2015 * Northfield, Minn.: Ashley Betzold (Farmington, Minn.) nearly single-handedly took care of the Knights in Game 1 of the teams' conference doubleheader, as the sophomore drove in two of  the team's four runs with a first-inning home run—the first of her collegiate career—while also tossing a complete-game five-hitter as Saint Mary's held off a late Carleton rally for a 4-3 win. There would be no nail-biting in the second game, however, as the Cardinals erupted for 10 runs on 18 hits en route to a 14-5, six-inning victory | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals are on the road this weekend, heading to St. Paul, Minn., for a 1 p.m. conference showdown with Hamline on Saturday, before heading to Minneapolis, Minn., to take on Augsburg in a 1 p.m. MIAC twinbill on Sunday.
• Carleton: The Knights have a busy weekend, entertaining crosstown rival St. Olaf in a 1 p.m. conference DH at Ele Hansen Field in Northfield, Minn., before traveling to Bethel's Ona Orth Athletic Complex in Arden Hills, Minn., for a 1 p.m. MIAC doubleheader against the Royals.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2016 Roster | 2016 Statistics | 2016 Schedule
• The Cardinals kicked off a stretch of four doubleheaders in six games on Tuesday at Bethel. Saint Mary's faces Carleton at home on Wednesday, before going on the road to face Hamline and Augsburg on Saturday and Sunday. … Saint Mary's picked up its first doubleheader sweep of the season with its 8-5 and 1-0 wins over Macalester last Sunday. … Saint Mary's two games vs. Bethel marked the second and third straight games in which the Cardinals were held to one run—the Cardinals beat Macalester 1-0 last Sunday, before falling to the Royals 4-1 and 7-1 on Tuesday. … The Cardinals' 1-0 Game 2 win over the Scots Sunday was their fifth shutout of the season—and first since blanking the University of Dubuque 8-0 on March 4. … The Cardinals' four Game 1 hits against Bethel Tuesday came from four different players—Stanzy Snyder (Johnston, Iowa), Brittney Birkhauser (Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.), Ashley Betzold (Farmington, Minn.), and Allie Borawski (Stickney, Ill.). … Mariah Harper (Schaumburg, Ill.) had two hits in the nightcap against Bethel Tuesday, while Alexa Diteman (Burnsville, Minn.) belted a pinch-hit, solo home run in the top of the seventh. … Borawski equaled her single-season career high, going 3-for-4 in the Cardinals' 8-5 Game 1 win over Macalester last Sunday, Ashley Betzold (Farmington, Minn.) notched her 15th complete games in the Cardinals' Game 1 loss to Bethel. The junior right-hander has now thrown 50 career complete games—ranking her No. 2 all-time, just two shy of Jenny Schipp's career-record 52 complete games. … Betzold limited Macalester to just three hits in Sunday's 1-0 Game 2 win—it was her fifth three-hitter of the season and the eighth time this year she has limited the opposition to three hits or less. … Harper enters Wednesday's games against Carleton leading the team in batting average (.416), hits (32), doubles (7), triples (2), total bases (46), slugging percentage (.597), and on-base percentage (.489). … Harper is one of four Cardinals who are hitting above .300—Betzold (.341), Snyder (.326), and Birkhauser (.308) are the others. … Saint Mary's, which has scored 145 runs this season, has eight players who have scored 10 or more runs, led by Birkhauser (20), Snyder (17), Harper (17), and Betzold (16). … Birkhauser also owns the team lead in home runs (2) and RBIs (19). … Harper hit her first collegiate home run vs. Luther on March 29, while Diteman delivered her first HR in a Cardinal uniform Tuesday against Bethel. Betzold and Katie Krull (Rochester, Minn.) own the Cardinals' other two HRs. Krull's round-tripper was her first collegiate grand slam vs. John Carroll on Feb. 28. … Harper has been hit by a pitch a team-leading six times. … Betzold recorded her first collegiate four-hit game in Game 2 against Saint Benedict on April 6, going a perfect 4-for-4. … Birkhauser's four RBIs vs. St. Catherine in the opener on April 3 tied her single-game career high. … Harper owns a team-leading 11 multiple-hit games—with all 11 being two-hit performances—while Birkhauser is the team-leader with six multiple-RBI games. … The Cardinals have used four different pitchers this season, led by Betzold, who has logged a team-high 137.1 innings, compiling a 12-11 record and 2.45 ERA. … Betzold has made a team-high 23 starts, has tossed a team-leading 16 complete games, and has struck out 77 batters… Abbey Killian (Fountain City, Wis. / 3-2, 3.00 ERA) has thrown three complete games in her five starts, including her second collegiate three-hitter against Wartburg on Feb. 28. … Saint Mary's has outscored its opponents 23-9 in the first inning, while holding a 39-14 scoring edge in the fourth. … The Cardinals have held their opponents to two runs or less in 12 of their 30 games. … The Cardinals have been held to two runs or less in 12 of their 14 losses. On the flip side, Saint Mary's is 12-0 when scoring six or more runs. … Saint Mary's Game 1 loss to Bethel Tuesday marked the first time this season the Cardinals have lost when scoring in the first inning (6-1). Saint Mary's is 11-4 when scoring the game's first run. … Saint Mary's Game 2 loss to Saint Benedict on April 6 marked the first time this season the Cardinals have lost when leading after the fifth inning (9-1). … Six of the Cardinals 16 wins have been shortened to six innings or less by the eight-run rule. … All nine Cardinals had at least one hit in Saint Mary's 9-5 Game 1 win over Saint Benedict on April 6—led by Snyder and Hunsinger with two each. … The Cardinals have put together winning streaks of five and three (twice) game this season. … The Cardinals have played three nationally ranked teams this season—No. 7 Luther, No. 18 St. Catherine, and No. 20 St. Thomas. … 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 Carleton Knights:
2016 Roster | 2016 Statistics | 2016 Schedule
• Carleton's doubleheader at Saint Mary's is the fourth of five doubleheaders in a seven-day span. … Carleton snapped a three-game losing streak with its 9-4 Game 2 win over Concordia Tuesday. … The Knights' 9-4 victory was also their first at Elle Hanson Field this season—ending a seven-game home losing streak. … Corrie Lucchesi (3-for-4) and Kaitlin Schaible (2-for-3) accounted for five of the Knights' 10 hits in Game 1 against Concordia Tuesday, while Lucchesi, Anna Lauko, Emily Boxrud, and Ari Zuaro all recorded two hits in Carleton's Game 2 win. … Lauko heads into Carleton's DH against Saint Mary's hitting a team-best .456. She is one of five Knights hitting above .300 this season—Lucchesi (.394), Molly Steinberg (.352), Zuaro (.327), and Nicole Magats (.310) are the others. … Along with her team-leading .456 batting average, Lauko also leads the team in runs (23), hits (36), total bases (43), and on-base percentage (.516). … Steinberg and Sam Kile have belted a team-high six doubles, while Katie Eppard leads the team with two triples. … Lauko, Steinberg, Magats, Kile, and Kaitlin Schaible have each hit a home run this season. … Carleton boasts six player with 10 or more RBIs, led by Kile with 17 and Steinberg with 13. … The Knights have stolen 46 bases this season, with Lauko owning a team-high 18 steals in 22 attempts. … Carleton has used five different pitchers this season—with all five logging 14 of more innings. … Keelin Davis (2-7, 5.06 ERA) has throw a team-leading 54.0 innings, with Kile (3-4, 4.23 ERA) and Sarah Ogle (0-4, 5.93 ERA) adding 44.2 IP and 30.2 IP, respectively. …Kile has made a team-high 11 appearances, once more than Davis and Maddie Sherwood (3-4, 6.52 ERA), while Davis has posted a team-best six complete games. … The Knights' pitching staff has compiled 110 strikeouts, led by Kile with 45 and Davis with 30. … Carleton has been involved in three games decided by two runs or less, going 0-3 in those three contests. … The Knights have been held to two runs or less in 11 of their 20 losses. … Carleton has surrendered six or more runs in 18 of its 20 losses. … The Knights have won just once (1-18) when their opponent plates the game's first run.