By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
CLERMONT, Fla. — After picking up their first win of the season—thanks to a three-run fifth inning that lifted the Cardinals to a 3-2 win over Rose-Hulman earlier in the day—Saint Mary's University of Minnesota fastpitch softball coach Jen Miller was hoping for a repeat performance in their second game of the day against Adrian Monday afternoon.
 
There was a repeat performance—but not the type Miller was hoping for.
 
For the fourth time in as many games, the Cardinals fell behind by two more runs early—in fact, Saint Mary's was staring at a 2-0 deficit after Adrian's first at-bat, and were down 4-0 after two innings—in falling to the Bulldogs 9-0 in six innings.
 
Adrian had its offense shifted into high gear from the opening pitch, banging out four hits—and scoring a pair of runs on a Lindsey Branscum single—in grabbing a 2-0 first-inning lead.
 
The Bulldogs would notch their second straight two-run inning in the second, before erupting for three runs in the third and two more in the sixth to ice the win.
 
And while Adrian was feasting on Saint Mary's pitching, the Cardinals managed just three hits—two from Tara Nikolich (Chicago, Ill.) and the other off the bat of Paige Gudmundson (Plainview, Minn.)—off Bulldogs' starter Rebecca Neal.
 
The Cardinals (1-3 overall) are now off until Wednesday, when they square off against Johnson & Wales (9:30 a.m. EST) and Milwaukee School of Engineering (11:30 a.m. EST) in a pair of nonconference games.