MOORHEAD, Minn. —
Ashley Betzold (Farmington, Minn.) has accomplished virtually everything during her four year pitching career as a member of the Saint Mary's University of Minnesota fastpitch softball team.
The single-season and career complete-games leader has done it all—except throw a no-hitter.
That all changed Saturday afternoon, as the senior right-hander notched her first collegiate no-hitter in the Cardinals' 10-1, five-inning victor over Concordia in the second game of their Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference doubleheader against Concordia.
The Cardinals could have used a few of those Game 2 runs in the opener, as Saint Mary's managed just one run on four hits in falling to the Cobbers 5-1.
Betzold, who threw all 11 innings against the Cobbers Saturday, faced just 19 batters en route to collegiate no-hitter No. 1, inducing Concordia into nine ground-ball outs and four flyouts, while walking two and striking out two.
Betzold—whose no-hitter was the first Cardinal no-no since her sister, Mallory, achieved the feat on March 14, 2009—received plenty of run support, as the Cardinals used a pair of five-run innings in the third and fifth to record the five-inning victory.
The Cardinals got on the board first in the second game, scoring five times in the top of the third.
Amber Trendle (Chicago, Ill.) delivered a two-run single and
Kathi Opsahl (Elk River, Minn.) and
Haley Vanourney (Marion, Iowa) sandwiched RBI singles around a run-scoring groundout by
Allie Borawski (Stickney, Ill.) to give the Cardinals a commanding 5-0 advantage.
A pair of fielder's choices and a walk loaded the bases for the Cobbers in their half of the third, and Madi Veith lifted a sacrifice fly to right field to plate Concordia's lone run to cut the deficit to 5-1.
Saint Mary's iced the win with its second five-run inning of the game in the fifth—highlighted by a two-run double by
Kali Aldrich (Rochester, Minn.), a run-scoring single by
Molly Urban (Roseville, Minn.), a bases-loaded walk to Trendle, and a sacrifice fly by Betzold.
Brittney Birkhauser (Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.), Vanourney, and Urban all finished with two hits in the second game, while Trendle finished with three RBIs and Aldrich drove in two.
The Cardinals came out swinging in their first at-bat in the opener, as Birkhauser led off with a single and was sacrificed to second. Betzold delivered an infield single and Opsahl walked to load the bases, and a Borawski ground out plated Birkhauser to give Saint Mary's the 1-0 lead.
Concordia pulled even with a single run in the fifth, before erupting for four runs on four hits to ice the opening-game victory.
Birkhauser finished 2-for-4 to account for two of the Cardinals' four hits the opener, with Betzold and Borawski each adding one hit.
The Cardinals (6-15 MIAC, 12-25 overall) are back in action—weather permitting—on Monday when they host Bethel in the continuation of the second game of their MIAC doubleheader, suspended on April 5 due to darkness tied 3-3 heading to the eighth inning.
