WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota fastpitch softball team is back on the Saint Mary's Field on Wednesday, as the Cardinals entertain Saint Benedict in a 3:30 p.m. Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference doubleheader.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (1-1 MIAC | 12-6 Overall) vs. Saint Benedict Blazers (0-0 MIAC | 12-6 Overall)

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• Live Stats | GameDay Program
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals split their two conference games against No. 18 St. Catherine last Sunday, handing the Wildcats their first loss of the season, 6-5, in the opener, before falling to SCU 3-0 in the nightcap at the Saint Mary's Field | Recap
• Saint Benedict: The Blazers are coming off a nonconference split last Sunday against St. Scholastica in St. Joseph, Minn. CSB dropped the opener 6-4, but rebounded with a 5-4 win in Game 2 | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Saint Benedict—Their Last Meeting:
• April 14, 2015 * St. Joseph, Minn.: The Cardinals erupted for 13 runs and took advantage of five Saint Benedict errors in handing the host Blazers a 13-4 setback in Game 1 of the teams' MIAC doubleheader. 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 | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals play a pair of conference doubleheaders this weekend, heading to Arden Hills, Minn., for a 1 p.m. DH against Bethel on Saturday, before returning home to entertain St. Thomas in a 1 p.m. twinbill Sunday at the Saint Mary's Field.
• Saint Benedict: The Blazers return home to the CSB Softball Complex in St. Joseph, Minn., this weekend, hosting Carleton on Saturday and Gustavus on Sunday. Both conference doubleheaders are slated to start at 1 p.m.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2016 Roster | 2016 Statistics | 2016 Schedule
• Saint Mary's doubleheader against Saint Benedict is the third straight home date for the Cardinals. … Both of the Cardinals' doubleheaders last week were against nationally ranked opponents—No. 7 Luther and No. 18 St. Catherine. … The Cardinals have put together winning streaks of five and three (twice) this season. … Six of the Cardinals 12 wins have been shortened to six innings or less by the eight-run rule. … Saint Mary's has allowed just 27 runs in its 12 wins this season—including four shutout victories. … Brittney Birkhauser (Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.) was the offensive leader for the Cardinals in their split against No. 18 St. Catherine last Sunday, going 2-for-4 in the 6-5 Game 1 win—including a three-run home run and a game-winning sixth-inning double—while also collecting both hits in Saint Mary's 3-0 loss in the nightcap. … Birkhauser's home run was her team-leading  second of the season and third of her career, while her four RBIs tied her single-game career high. … As a team, the Cardinals are hitting .311 through 18 games, led by Mariah Harper's (Schaumburg, Ill.) team-high .548 average. … Stanzy Snyder (Johnston, Iowa / .389), Ashley Betzold (Farmington, Minn. / .396), Birkhauser (.345), and Tessa Kuschke (Grant, Minn. / .314) are all also hitting above .300. … Harper owns a team-high 23 hits, two more than Snyder, while Birkhauser owns a team-high 17 runs scored. … Harper leads or shares the team lead in doubles (6), triples (2), total bases (36), slugging percentage (.857), and on-base percentage (.604). … Saint Mary's boasts four players with 10 or more RBIs, led by Birkhauser with 18. Kuschke (13), Harper (12) and Kathi Opsahl (Elk River, Minn. / 11) are the other three. … Harper's home run vs. Luther on March 29 was her first collegiate round-tripper. … Saint Mary's other two HRs came 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 owns a team-leading nine multiple-hit games—with all nine being two-hit performances—while Birkhauser is the team-leader with six multiple-RBI games. … Harper hit safely in each of the Cardinals' first seven games and has had at least one hit in 13 of their first 18 games. … Harper has reached base safely in 17 of the Cardinals' 18 contests this season. … The Cardinals have used four different pitchers this season, led by Betzold, who has logged a team-high 68.1 innings, compiling a 8-3 record and 1.74 ERA. … Betzold has made a team-high 11 starts, has tossed a team-leading eight complete games, and has struck out 50 batters… Abbey Killian (Fountain City, Wis. / 3-2, 2.62 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 21-4 in the first inning, while holding a 33-7 scoring edge in the fourth. … The Cardinals have held their opponents to two runs or less in eight of their 18 games. … The Cardinals have been held to two runs or less in five of their six losses. On the flip side, Saint Mary's is 10-0 when scoring six or more runs. … Saint Mary's is 6-0 when scoring in the first inning, and 9-2 when scoring the game's first run. … The Cardinals are 7-0 when leading after the fifth inning. … 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 Saint Benedict Blazers:
2016 Roster | 2016 Statistics | 2016 Schedule
• CSB's nonconference doubleheader against St. Scholastica last Sunday marked the first two home games for the Blazers. … Following their MIAC twinbill against Saint Mary's, the Blazers play their next three conference doubleheaders on their home field. … Saint Benedict's 6-4 Game 1 loss to St. Scholastica last Sunday snapped their three-game winning streak. … All three of CSB's wins during their recent three-game run had been shortened to six innings or less by the eight-run rule. The Blazers outscored their opponents 36-9 during that three-game span. … Saint Benedict is hitting .323 as a team and boasts two players—Megan Toninato (.467) and Sara Wennerstrand (.414)—who are hitting above .400. … Toninato also leads or shares the team lead in run (24), hits (28), and on-base percentage (.507). … Wennerstrand owns the team lead in doubles (9), home runs (3), RBIs (33), total bases (42), and slugging percentage (.724). … Kate Deming (.391) is the team's triples lead with three, while also accounted for a team-high 12 of the Blazers 36 stolen bases. … Toninato has accumulated 10 multiple-hit games in the Blazers' first 18 contests, while Wennerstrand owns nine multiple-RBI contests. … Both Toninato and Wennerstrand enter the Blazers' DH against Saint Mary's riding seven-game hitting streaks. … Wennerstrand has also reached base safely in each of the Blazers' last 13 contests. … CSB has used four different pitchers this season, with Kiela DeViaeminck and Cassie Meyer logging the most innings at 57.0 and 46.0, respectively. … Meyer has made a team-high 13 appearances and 12 starts, compiling a 6-3 record and 2.59 ERA, with DeViaeminck chipping in a 5-3 record and 3.81 ERA in 10 appearances—including four starts. … Meyer has tossed four complete games, one more than DeViaeminck, and owns a team-leading 25 strikeouts, two more than DeViaeminck. … The Blazers have outscored their opponents 135-78—including 29-16 in the opening inning, and 27-5 in the third. … Saint Benedict is a perfect 10-0 when scoring in the first inning, while owning a 9-1 record when scoring the game's first run. … The Blazers have scored 10 or more runs six times this season—including a season-high 18 against Buffalo on March 26—and are 11-0 when scoring six or more runs in a game. … Saint Benedict has been held to two runs or less in three of its six losses. … The Blazers are 7-0 when leading after the sixth inning.