LA CROSSE, Wis. — For the second day in a row, the Saint Mary's University of Minnesota fastpitch softball team scored in just two innings of the opening game of its nonconference doubleheader.
 
And for the second day in a row, two innings was enough, as the Cardinals—who used a two-run third and five-run fourth to beat UW-River Falls in Game 1 Saturday—scored a pair of runs in both their first two at-bats in dealing 24^th-ranked UW-La Crosse a 4-1 setback.
 
Unfortunately, Game 2 looked eerily similar to Saturday as well.
 
UW-La Crosse limited the Cardinals—who did not score until the seventh inning in falling to the Falcons 6-2 in eight innings in Game 2—to just three runs on five hits, while scoring single runs in four of the first five innings in dealing Saint Mary's a 6-3 setback.
 
Ashley Betzold (Farmington, Minn.) and Kathi Opsahl (Elk River, Minn.) kick-started the Cardinal offense in the opener, as Betzold laced a out-out RBI double and Opsahl followed with a run-scoring single in the first inning to give Saint Mary's a quick 2-0 advantage.
 
Brittney Birkhauser (Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.) provided the offensive spark in the second inning, as the junior delivered a two-run double to right-center, scoring both Kali Aldrich (Rochester, Minn.) and Jordyn Keprios (Farmington, Minn.)—who had opened the frame with back-to-back singles.
 
And a four-run lead proved to be more than enough with Betzold in the pitcher's circle, as the senior surrendered just a lone second-inning run in posting a complete-game, six-hit victory.
 
Opsahl fueled the Cardinals' seven-hit offensive attack in the opener, going 2-for-3, while Birkhauser, Betzold, Aldrich, Keprios, and Alexa Diteman (Burnsville, Minn.) accounted for the other five hits.
 
It was the Eagles who got off the to the quick start in the second game, scoring solo runs in the first, second, fourth, and fifth innings—before pushing their advantage to 6-1 with a two-run sixth.
 
Birkhauser gave the Cardinals hope in the top of the seventh, launching her second home run of the season—a two-run shot—to cut the Eagle lead to three, 6-3.
 
That, however, would be as close as the Cardinals would get, as UW-La Crosse reliever Katie Klein got Betzold to pop out to second to end the threat—and the game.
 
Birkhauser finished 2-for-4 with a pair of RBIs in the second game, with Haley Vanourney (Marion, Iowa), Molly Urban (Roseville, Minn.), and Mia Lloyd (Minneapolis, Minn.) all chipping in one hit.
 
The Cardinals (6-8 overall) are back in action on Tuesday, traveling to Decorah, Iowa, for a 3 p.m. nonconference doubleheader against nationally ranked Luther.