WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota fastpitch softball team is back in Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference action on Thursday, as the Cardinals entertain Gustavus in a 3:30 p.m. doubleheader at Saint Mary's Field.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (1-8 MIAC, 7-18 Overall) vs. Gustavus Gusties (2-6 MIAC, 15-11 Overall), 3:30 p.m.
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
• Live Stats | GameDay Program
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's—April 9, 2017 * Winona, Minn.: Ashley Betzold (Farmington, Minn.) was good in the pitcher's circle for Saint Mary's in the opening game of its doubleheader against St. Olaf.  Problem was, the Oles' Julie Graf was even better. While Betzold was limiting the Oles to just three runs on eight hits, Graf was virtually untouchable—allowing just three Cardinal hits—in handing Saint Mary's a 3-0 Game 1 setback. The Oles may have ridden the right arm of Graf to the Game 1 win, but it was their bats that did all the damage in the nightcap, as St. Olaf erupted for three home runs—a solo shot in the fourth, a two-run blast in the fifth, and a three-run bomb in the sixth—to rally for a 6-5 victory and the conference sweep | Recap
• Gustavus—April 9, 2017 * St. Peter, Minn.: The Gusties dropped a pair of tightly contested conference contests against league-leading Saint Benedict, falling to the Blazers 7-4 in the opener and 5-3 in then nightcap | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Gustavus—Their Last Meeting:
• April 16, 2016 * St. Peter, Minn.: Just two days after St. Olaf scored the game's only run in the bottom of the sixth inning to beat Saint Mary's 1-0, Gustavus took a page out of the Oles' playbook—scoring both of its runs in the bottom of the sixth inning, rallying from a 1-0 deficit and handing the Cardinals a 2-1 setback in the first game of their Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference doubleheader at Gustie Softball Field. The Cardinals shut out the Gusties in the sixth inning in the Game 2 rematch. Unfortunately, the Gusties plated three runs in the first and two more in the third—while holding Saint Mary's to just a single run for the second straight game—in completing the sweep with a 5-1 victory | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals are right back in action on Friday, heading to St. Paul, Minn., for a 4:30 p.m. conference doubleheader against Macalester.
• Gustavus: The Gusties return home to the Gustie Softball Field in St. Peter, Minn., on Saturday, hosting Concordia in a 1 p.m. MIAC twinbill.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2017 Roster | 2017 Statistics | 2017 Schedule
• Thursday's doubleheader against Gustavus is the Cardinals' second straight home twinbill. Saint Mary's is 2-3 on its home diamond this season, while going 1-9 on the road and 4-6 in neutral-site contests. … The Cardinals' 6-4 Game 1 win over Bethel last Wednesday snapped their season-high seven-game losing streak. … Haley Vanourney (Marion, Iowa), Kathi Opsahl (Elk River, Minn.), and Allie Borawski (Stickney, Ill.) accounted for the Cardinals' three hits in their 3-0 loss to St. Olaf in Game 1 last Sunday, while Jordyn Keprios (Farmington, Minn.) went 3-for-4 with a pair of runs scored, and Betzold, Opsahl, and Borawski all finished with two hits in the nightcap. … Betzold enters Thursday's doubleheaders against Gustavus owning the team's batting lead with a .373 average, while Alexa Diteman (Burnsville, Minn. / .358) is also hitting above .300. … Brittney Birkhauser (Wisconsin Rapids, Wis. / .298) leads or shares the team in runs (16), doubles (6), triples (1), home runs (3), RBIs (13), total bases (42), slugging percentage (.500), and walks (9). … Betzold leads the team in hits (83)—three more than Birkhauser—while also owning a team-best .415 on-base percentage. … Birkhauser and Betzold are two of six Cardinals with 10 or more hits this season—Opsahl (24), Borawski (17), Vanourney (16), and Kali Aldrich (Rochester, Minn. / 14) are the others. … Saint Mary's owns 35 extra-base hits this season—26 doubles, three triples, and six home runs. … Betzold owns a team-leading eight multiple-hit games, while Birkhauser is the team-leader with four multiple-RBI games. … Birkhauser was held hitless in Game 1 against Luther on March 28, snapping her season- and career-high 11-game hitting streak. Betzold was held without a hit in Game 2 vs. UW-La Crosse on March 26, ending her hit streak at a career-high nine consecutive games. … The Cardinals belted four home runs—all first-inning bombs—in their nonconference doubleheader against No. 9 Luther on March 30. Betzold and Opsahl laced back-to-back, two-out first-inning homers in Game 1, while Birkhauser delivered an HR to lead off Game 2, and Betzold added a two-run first-inning shot. … Amber Trendle (Chicago, Ill.) picked up her first collegiate win—via her first collegiate complete game—scattering seven hits and just one earned run against Bethel Wednesday. … With her Game 1 complete game against St. Olaf Sunday, Betzold pushed her career complete-game record to 70. … Betzold has thrown 14 complete games in 19 starts this season, and owns a 6-13 record and 3.55 ERA in 112.1 IP. … Betzold has tossed a pair of shutouts this season—a six-hitter against Rose-Hulman on March 1, and a three-hitter against Mitchell on March 4. … Betzold leads the team with 52 strikeouts—including a season-high eight against Mitchell. … Betzold's three-hit shutout against Mitchell on March 4 marked the ninth time in the last two seasons she has held the opposition to three hits or less. … Saint Mary's has scored 76 runs this season. … Saint Mary's is 4-0 when limiting its opponents to two runs or less. On the flip side, the Cardinals are 0-13 when their opponent scores six or more runs. … The Cardinals are 6-4 when scoring the game's first run, and 5-4 when scoring in the first inning. Saint Mary's is just 1-14 its opponent scores first. … The Cardinals are 6-0 when leading after five innings, but are 0-14 when trailing heading into the sixth. … Saint Mary's has played three extra-inning games this season—beating Augustana 2-1, while falling to Neumann (7-6) and UW-River Falls (6-2). All three extra-inning games were decided in the eighth inning. … The Cardinals' 10 runs against Penn State-Brandywine on March 10 were a season-high, while the shutout win over Mitchell was their second shutout of the season—Saint Mary's also blanked Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology on March 1. … The Cardinals' 6-2 Game 2 loss to UW-River Falls on March 25 snapped their season-high three-game winning streak.
 
Scouting The Gustavus Gusties:
2017 Roster | 2017 Statistics | 2017 Schedule
• The Gusties head into Thursday's conference doubleheader against Saint Mary's having dropped three straight and four of their last five. … Gustavus' 5-3, Game 2 loss to Saint Benedict last Sunday marked the fourth straight doubleheader in which the Gusties have lost Game 2. … Gustavus has allowed five or more runs in each of their losses during their current three-game slide. … Hannah Heacox heads into Thursday's showdown with Saint Mary's as the Gusties' offensive leader, hitting a team-best .375, while also leading the team in at-bats (88), runs (20), hits (33), doubles (10), total bases (46), slugging percentage (.523), and on-base percentage (.409). … Heacox is one of three Gusties hitting above. 300 through 26 games—Jessica Neuman (.351) and Aly Freeman (.319) are the others. … Emily Carlson (.295) owns a team-high 14 RBIs. She is one of five Gusties with 10 or more RBIs. … Rachel Malo (.277) owns the team's lone triple, while Jena Willis (.268) has accounted for two of the Gusties' six home runs. … Gustavus has stolen 21 bases on 27 attempts, led by Heacox, who is perfect 6-for-6. … Heacox has compiled nine multiple-hit games this season, with Carlson chipping in a team-best five multiple-RBI contests. … Heacox and Willis have been the workhorses in the pitcher's circle for the Gusties, with Heacox boasting an 8-7 record and 2.14 ERA in 98.1 innings of work, while Willis is 7-4 with a 2.16 ERA in 64.2 innings. … In 15 starts, Heacox has recorded 14 complete games—including both contests against Saint Benedict last Sunday. … Heacox has struck out 106 batters, ranking her second among MIAC pitchers. …  Gustavus is unbeaten (9-0) when scoring at least six runs, while going 1-7 when held to two runs or less. … The Gusties have limited their opponent to two runs or less in 11 of their 15 victories this season. … Gustavus is 11-4 when scoring first. … The Gusties are unbeaten (12-0) when leading after the fourth inning. … Gustavus is 2-6 on its home diamond this year, while going 1-1 on the road and 12-4 in neutral-site contests.