By ALEX NUEHRING
Saint Mary's Sports Information Intern
 
WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota fastpitch softball team was celebrating Senior Day for its five graduating seniors Saturday afternoon—and were hoping to continue the celebration after two wins against Concordia.
 
Unfortunately, Concordia had other plans–raining on the Cardinals' parade by sweeping Saint Mary's 2-1 and 4-2 at Saint Mary's Field.
 
Offensively, the Cardinals got off to a great start in the opener, as they picked up a pair of singles—one by Justine Schultz (Winona, Minn.) and the other by Paige Gudmundson (Plainview, Minn.)—and a walk by Brittney Birkhauser (Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.) to load the bases with no outs. Shayley Vesel (Austin, Minn.) then delivered a sacrifice fly to give Saint Mary's a 1-0 lead.
 
The Cardinals kept the Cobbers off the scoreboard for the first three innings, thanks in part to the pitching of Amber Chow (West St. Paul, Minn.).
 
In the fourth, however, the Cobbers struck for both of their runs, getting a two-run home run off the bat of Sydney Roberts that gave Concordia the lead for good.
 
The Cardinals got hits from two seniors, Birkhauser and Jordyn Keprios (Farmington, Minn.), as well as Schultz, Gudmundson, and Chow to account for their five Game 1 hits.
 
In the nightcap, Saint Mary's once again scored first, this time when Schultz led off with a single and advanced to third on two wild pitches. After a walk to Gudmundson—who promptly stole second—before another wild pitch scored Schultz.
 
Concordia responded with a run of its own to tie the game in the top of the second inning, and erupted for three runs in the fifth to take a 4-1 lead. Saint Mary's answered with a solo run in the bottom of the fifth—on a Birkhauser single that scored Gudmundson—but it was too little, too late.
 
Saint Mary's got two hits by Gudmundson and one hit each from four of the five seniors—Birkhauser, Allie Borawski (Stickney, Ill.), Kali Aldrich (Rochester, Minn.), and Haley Vanourey (Marion, Iowa).
 
The Cardinals return to the diamond Sunday, as they travel to Ona Orth Athletic Complex in Arden Hills, Minn., for a pair of MIAC games against Bethel. Game 1 will begin at 1 p.m.