ST. JOSEPH, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota and Saint Benedict fastpitch softball teams entered Sunday's Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference doubleheader on opposite ends of the offensive spectrum:
 
• The Cardinals were coming off back-to-back shutout losses to St. Catherine—managing just three hits in falling to the Wildcats 7-0 and 8-0 in Saturday's conference opener.
 
• The Blazers, meanwhile, erupted for 29 hits and 31 runs in routing Concordia in a pair of five-inning victories, 11-3 and 20-2, to kick off conference play on Saturday.
 
Saint Mary's limited the high-scoring Blazers to a combined 12 runs in the team's twinbill, but the Cardinals could only generate three runs—two in the first game and one in the second—in dropping both ends of the doubleheader to the CSB, 8-2 and 4-1.
 
Saint Benedict jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning, but the Cardinals quickly answered, plating an unearned run in the top of the second.
 
The game did not remain deadlocked long, as Saint Benedict erupted for five runs in the bottom of the second—two coming on a Boatman home run and two more on an Antony double—to grab a commanding 6-1 advantage.
 
Kathi Opsahl (Elk River, Minn.) laced an RBI double in the top of the sixth to cut the deficit to 6-2, but again the Blazers had an answer, scoring twice in their half of the sixth to seal the 8-2 victory.
 
Haley Vanourney (Marion, Iowa) collected two of the Cardinals' five Game 1 hits, with Opsahl, Kali Aldrich (Rochester, Minn.), and Molly Urban (Roseville, Minn.) accounting for the other three.
 
The Blazers picked up right where they left off in Game 2, scoring three times in their first at-bat. Saint Mary's got on the board in the third on an Ashley Betzold (Farmington, Minn.) single to score Mia Lloyd (Minneapolis, Minn.)—who had opened the inning with a double—but that would be the extent of the Cardinals' offensive attack.
 
The Cardinals managed just five hits for the second straight game in the nightcap, getting a 2-for-3 effort from Betzold, with Opsahl, Lloyd, and Allie Borawski (Stickney, Ill.) each collecting one hit.
 
The Cardinals (0-4 MIAC, 6-14 overall) return home to Saint Mary's Field on Wednesday, hosting Bethel in a 3:30 p.m. MIAC doubleheader.