CLERMONT, Fla. — Saint Mary's University of Minnesota fastpitch softball coach
Jen Miller could not have written a better ending to the Cardinals' 10-game spring trip.
The Cardinals kicked off the day with a 10-3 victory over Penn State-Brandywine, before completing Saturday's perfect 2-0 showing with an 8-0, six-inning victory over Mitchell.
The Cardinals scored early—and late—in cruising to their 10-3 win over Penn State-Brandywine, sandwiching single runs in the first and the third innings around a three-run second inning, while closing with two runs in the sixth and three more in the seventh.
Kathi Opsahl (Elk River, Minn.) delivered a run-scoring single to get the Cardinals on the board in the first inning, while
Haley Williams (Littleton, Colo.),
Brittney Birkhauser (Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.) laced RBI singles and
Ashley Betzold (Farmington, Minn.) added a sacrifice fly in the top of the second to give Saint Mary's a 4-0 advantage.
Penn State-Brandywine cut the Cardinal lead in half, 4-2, with two runs in its half of the second, but Saint Mary's answered with a solo run in the third to take it 5-2.
The Lions once again climbed within two, 5-3, with a fifth-inning run, only to have the Cardinals erupt for five runs in their final two at-bats—thanks in part to a combined three Penn State-Brandywine errors—to seal the victory.
Quincy Zupko (Wyoming, Minn.) went 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored to pace the Cardinal offense, while Saint Mary's other five hits came from five different players—Birkhauser, Betzold, Opsahl, Williams, and
Allie Borawski (Stickney, Ill.). Opsahl also delivered a pair of RBIs, and Borawski and Williams joined Birkhauser with two runs scored.
Betzold went the distance on the mound against the Lions, allowing three runs—two earned—on seven hits, while walking one and striking out six.
The Cardinals' bats were silent through the first three innings against Mitchell, before erupting for eight runs—two in the fourth, one in the fifth, and five more in the sixth—to complete the six-inning shutout victory.
Kali Aldrich (Rochester, Minn.) got the Cardinals on the board with an RBI single, and
Jordyn Keprios (Farmington, Minn.) drove in the second fourth-inning run with a one-out, groundout to short.
After plating one run in the fifth on a
Haley Vanourney (Marion, Iowa) RBI, the Cardinals erupted for five runs on five hits—including three for extra bases—in the sixth. Birkhauser drove in two runs with a triple, while Vanourney delivered an RBI double and Opsahl ended the game with a run-scoring triple.
Birkhauser and Opsahl each finished 3-for-4 to pace Saint Mary's 12-hit offensive attack, while Betzold added a pair of hits. Birkhauser and Vanourney posted a team-high two RBIs.
Betzold tossed her second complete game of the afternoon, tossing a three-hit shutout. The senior right-hander did not walk and batter and struck out a season-high eight.
The Cardinals (4-6 overall) are now off until March 25, when they kick off the home portion of their schedule—weather permitting—with a 1 p.m. nonconference doubleheader against UW-River Falls.
