WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota fastpitch softball team is back in Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference action on Sunday, as the Cardinals entertain St. Olaf in a 1 p.m. doubleheader at Saint Mary's Field.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (1-6 MIAC, 7-14 Overall) vs. St. Olaf Oles (4-4 MIAC, 15-9 Overall), 1 p.m.
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
• Live Stats | GameDay Program
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's—April 8, 2017 * St. Paul, Minn.: The Cardinals came up empty in their conference series against nationally ranked St. Thomas, falling to the 17^th-ranked Tommies 3-0 and 6-0 at South Field | Recap
• St. Olaf—April 8, 2017 * Northfield, Minn.: The Oles settled for a split in their conference doubleheader against Hamline, beating the Pipers 2-1 in nine innings in the opener, before falling 7-0 in Game 2 | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. St. Olaf—Their Last Meeting:
• April 14, 2016 * Northfield, Minn.: After being held scoreless in all seven innings of a 1-0 Game 1 loss—and for the first three innings of Game 2—the Cardinals' offense finally showed signs of life, as Saint Mary's put together a pair of back-to-back two-run innings in the fourth and fifth to beat St. Olaf 4-2 and earn a conference split | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals return home to the Saint Mary's Field on Thursday, as Saint Mary's entertains Gustavus in a 3:30 p.m. conference doubleheader.
• St. Olaf: The Oles are back on the road on Thursday, heading to St. Joseph, Minn., for a 3:30 p.m. MIAC doubleheader against Saint Benedict.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2017 Roster | 2017 Statistics | 2017 Schedule
• The Cardinals' 6-4 Game 1 win over Bethel on Wednesday snapped their season-high seven-game losing streak. … After four straight road doubleheaders, the Cardinals' DH against Bethel Wednesday was the first of three over the next four conference twinbills played on their home diamond. … Saint Mary's is 2-1 at Saint Mary's Field—beating Bethel Wednesday, while splitting a pair of games against UW-River Falls on March 25. The Cardinals are 1-5 in road games and 4-6 in neutral-site contests. … Ashley Betzold (Farmington, Minn.) went 3-for-6 in the Cardinals' two games against St. Thomas Saturday, collecting one hit in the opener and two in the nightcap. … Brittney Birkhauser (Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.) was a perfect 3-for-3 with an RBI and two runs scored to pace the Cardinals' offensive attack in Game 1 against Bethel Wednesday. … Betzold enters Sunday's doubleheaders against St. Olaf owning the team's batting lead with a .382 average, while Alexa Diteman (Burnsville, Minn. / .333) and Birkhauser (.321) are also hitting above .300. … Birkhauser leads or shares the team in runs (16), doubles (6), triples (1), home runs (3), RBIs (13), total bases (42), slugging percentage (.538), and walks (7). … Betzold leads the team in hits (23), while also owning a team-best .427 on-base percentage. … Birkhauser and Betzold are two of five Cardinals with 10 or more hits this season—Kathi Opsahl (Elk River, Minn. / 21), Kali Aldrich (Rochester, Minn. / 14), Haley Vanourney (Marion, Iowa / 14), and Allie Borawski (Stickney, Ill. / 14) are the others. … Saint Mary's owns 32 extra-base hits this season—23 doubles, three triples, and six home runs. … Betzold and Birkhauser have each put together six 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. Thomas Saturday, Betzold pushed her career complete-game record to 69. … Betzold has thrown 13 complete games in 18 starts this season, and owns a 6-11 record and 3.66 ERA in 105.1 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 71 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 0-12 when their opponent scores six or more runs. … The Cardinals are 6-3 when scoring the game's first run, and 5-3 when scoring in the first inning. Saint Mary's is just 1-13 its opponent scores first. … The Cardinals are 6-0 when leading after five innings, but are 0-13 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 St. Olaf Oles:
2017 Roster | 2017 Statistics | 2017 Schedule
• The Oles' 7-0 Game 2 loss to Hamline Saturday snapped their four-game winning streak. … St. Olaf heads into Sunday's matchup against Saint Mary's boasting five regulars batting over .300—Emily Carr (.484), Jessica Bentley (.410), Maggie Casper (.385), Kristina Lodahl (.343), and Julie Graf (.327). … Carr also leads the team in hits (31), runs (22), doubles (11), triples (5), home runs (3), RBIs (23), total bases (61), slugging percentage (.953), and on-base percentage (.554). … St. Olaf has plated 121 runs this season, and boasts six different players who have scored 10 or more runs. … Carr has accounted for five of the team's 10 triples and three of the Oles' four home runs. … The Oles are 38-for-43 in stolen base attempts, led by Casper with 10. … Carr has put together team-highs in both multiple-hit games (10) and multiple-RBI games (6). … Carr and Graf have each posted season-high four-hit games. … Carr heads into Sunday's showdown with Saint Mary's have reached base safely in 14 straight games. … Casper and Bentley each owned 11-game hitting streaks earlier this season. … Graf has been the workhorse in the pitcher's circle for the Oles, throwing 84.0 innings. … Graf owns a 10-4 record and a 0.83 ERA in 16 appearances—including 13 starts. … Graff has thrown 10 complete games and owns three shutouts. … The Oles have scored 10 or more runs five times this season, including a season-high 18 runs in an 18-0, season-opening win over Bethany Lutheran on Feb. 24. … The Oles are 2-2 at home this season, while going 6-4 on the road and 6-2 in neutral-site contests.