By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
CLERMONT, Fla. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota fastpitch softball team kicks off its 2019 season with 10 nonconference games as part of their nine-day spring trip.
 
The Opponents:
• Alma (Roster • Schedule • 2018 Statistics) * Neumann (Roster • Schedule • 2018 Statistics) * Rose-Hulman (Roster • Schedule • 2018 Statistics) * Augustana (Ill.) (Roster • Schedule • 2018 Statistics) * Hanover (Roster • Schedule • 2018 Statistics) * MSOE (Roster • Schedule • 2018 Statistics) * Capital (Roster • Schedule • 2018 Statistics) * Eastern Nazarene (Roster • Schedule • 2018 Statistics) * Wartburg (Roster • Schedule • 2018 Statistics)
 
The Matchups:
February 24, 2019 | Legends Way #2 * Clermont, Fla.
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (2018: 14-26 Overall) vs. Alma Scots (2018: 23-14 Overall), 9:30 a.m. (EST)
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (2018: 14-26 Overall) vs. Neumann Knights (2018: 24-17 Overall), 11:45 a.m. (EST)
February 25, 2019 | Legends Way #2 * Clermont, Fla.
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (2018: 14-26 Overall) vs. Rose-Hulman Fightin' Engineers (2018: 10-22 Overall), 9:30 a.m. (EST) | Live Stats
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (2018: 14-26 Overall) vs. Augustana (Ill.) Vikings (2018: 22-16 Overall), 11:45 a.m. (EST)
February 27, 2019 | Legends Way #2 & #1 * Clermont, Fla.
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (2018: 14-26 Overall) vs. Hanover Panthers (2018: 19-17 Overall), 9:30 a.m. (EST)
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (2018: 14-26 Overall) vs. Milwaukee School of Engineering Raiders (2018: 25-15 Overall), 11:45 a.m. (EST) | Live Stats
February 28, 2019 | Legends Way #4 * Clermont, Fla.
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (2018: 14-26 Overall) vs. Capital Crusaders (2018: 9-31 Overall), 9:45 a.m. (EST)
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (2018: 14-26 Overall) vs. Hanover Panthers (2018: 19-17 Overall), Noon (EST)
March 2, 2019 | Osceola Complex #3 * Clermont, Fla.
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (2018: 14-26 Overall) vs. Eastern Nazarene Lions (2018: 28-12 Overall), 11:45 a.m. (EST)
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (2018: 14-26 Overall) vs. Wartburg Knights (2018: 17-17 Overall), 1:30 p.m. (EST)
 
Last Action:
• This week's games in Clermont, Fla., are the 2019 season-openers for the Cardinals and all of their opponents.
 
Saint Mary's vs. Spring Trip Opponents — Their Last Meeting:
• vs. Alma—February 25, 2019 * Clermont, Fla.: Saint Mary's kicked off its 2018 season in dramatic fashion, rallying for four runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to pull even with Alma, 7-7 — and eventually force the game into extra innings. Unfortunately for the Cardinals, that four-run sixth would be the last time they would score — and Alma would plate a solo run in the top of the eighth, leading the Scots to an 8-7 nonconference win at Legends Way Field | Recap
• vs. Neumann—March 1, 2018 * Clermont, Fla.: Neumann held Saint Mary's — which had plated 13 runs in a 13-12 win over Adrian earlier in the day — to just two runs, one in the first and one in the seventh, in dealing the Cardinal a 7-2 setback | Recap
• vs. Rose-Hulman—February 26, 2018 * Clermont, Fla.: Trailing Rose-Hulman 2-0, Saint Mary's scored three runs in the top of the fifth inning, and made that one-run lead stand up —thanks in part to 2 1/3 innings of scoreless, one-hit relief by Amber Chow (West St. Paul, Minn.) — as the Cardinals grabbed their first win of the season, 3-2 | Recap
• vs. Augustana (Ill.)—February 25, 2018 * Clermont, Fla.: For the second time in as many games the Cardinals were in dire need of some late-inning heroics in their nonconference game against Augustana (Ill.). Just hours after scoring four times in the bottom of the sixth inning to rally for a 7-7 tie, before falling 8-7 in eight innings to Alma in their season-opener, the Cardinals were again staring at a large deficit late against the Vikings. This time around however, the Cardinals could only manage a single, seventh-inning run in falling to Augustana 5-1 | Recap
• vs. Hanover—February 27, 2017 * Clermont, Fla.: The Cardinals gave up runs in bunches in their second game of the afternoon, as Hanover used a three-run third and two-run sixth to hand Saint Mary's a 6-2 setback | Recap
• vs. MSOE—February 28, 2018 * Clermont, Fla.: Saint Mary's put together a big, four-run inning in its nonconference game against Milwaukee School of Engineering. Problem was, that was the only inning the Cardinals would push a run across, as the Raiders cruised to a 7-4 victory | Recap
• vs. Capital—The Cardinals' Feb. 28 matchup against the Crusaders will be the first in program history.
• vs. Eastern Nazarene—March 3, 2018 * Clermont, Fla.: Kali Aldrich (Rochester, Minn.) went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and a pair of RBIs, as Saint Mary's completed a perfect 2-0 day with an 8-6 win over Eastern Nazarene | Recap
• vs. Wartburg—March 1, 2017 * Clermont, Fla.: For the second time in as many games, the Cardinals plated a solo run in the first against Wartburg. Unfortunately, the Knights had already plated two runs in the top half of the first — and scored the game-winning run in the fourth in dealing the Cardinals a 3-2 setback | Recap
 
Cardinals' Up Next:
• The Cardinals are scheduled to return to action, weather permitting, on March 18, returning home to the Saint Mary's Field for a nonconference doubleheader against 10th-ranked Luther. First pitch is slated for 3 p.m.
 
Scouting the Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2019 Roster | 2019 Schedule | 2018 Final Statistics
• The Cardinals boasted a pair of 2018 First-Team All-MIAC selections in seniors Brittney Birkhauser (Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.) and Kali Aldrich (Rochester, Minn.), while fellow senior Allie Borawski (Stickney, Ill.) was an honorable-mention selection. …  Birkhauser closed out her senior season as the Cardinals' offensive leader, boasting a team-best .366 batting average. Birkhauser was one of three Cardinals to close out the season hitting above .300 — being joined by Paige Gudmundson (Plainview, Minn. / .319) and Shayley Vesel (.303). … Birkhauser, who started every game during her four-year collegiate career — a span of 154 consecutive starts — also led or shared the team lead in hits (48), doubles (8), triples (1), home runs (3), RBIs (23), total bases (67), slugging percentage (.511), and on-base percentage (.413). … All three of Birkhauser's home runs were two-run efforts. Along with her two-run bomb against St. Olaf on April 4, the senior also launched two-run round-trippers against Johnson & Wales on March 3 and against UW-River Falls on March 29. … Borawski (.234) became the only player besides Birkhauser to hit a home run last season with her round-tripper against Hamline on April 8. Borawski's second-inning bomb was not only her first of the season, but also the first of her collegiate career. … Borawski finished second to Birkhauser in RBIs with 21 and doubles with six. … Birkhauser closed out the year boasting three, four-hit games — including perfect 4-for-4 performances against both UW-River Falls on March 29 and vs. St. Olaf on April 4. … Vesel notched her first collegiate four-hit game against Bethel on April 29. … Gudmundson owned a team-high 135 at-bats, and was second in hits (43), runs (22) and total bases (43). … Justine Schultz (Winona, Minn. / .297) led the Cardinals in runs (28) and walks (16). … The Cardinals boasted seven players — Gudmundson, Schultz, Vesel, Amber Chow (West St. Paul, Minn.), Tara Nikolich (Chicago, Ill.), Marissa Kleckler (Oregon, Wis.), and Roni Stevens (Delano, Minn.) — who collected their first collegiate hits. … Gudmundson was held hitless in Game 1 against UW-La Crosse on March 27, snapping the freshman's season-opening 10-game hitting streak. … Gudmundson, who equaled her single-game career-high with three hits in the opener vs. UW-River Falls on March 29, led the team with 13 multiple-hit games — two more than Birkhauser — while Vesel boasted a team-leading seven multiple-RBI games. … Chow and Amber Trendle (Chicago, Ill.) each notched their first collegiate shutouts in the Cardinals' sweep of St. Olaf on April 4 — Chow tossed a five-hit shutout in Game 1, while Trendle limited the Oles to just two hits in the Game 2 shutout. … Chow collected her first collegiate pitching win and her first collegiate save on Saint Mary's spring trip. The freshman tossed a complete-game, eight-hitter with three strikeouts in the Cardinals' 4-2 win over Johnson & Wales on Feb. 28. Chow also limited Rose-Hulman to just one hit in 2.1 innings of relief to preserve Saint Mary's 3-2 win. … Chow (9-12, 3.27 ERA) led the team with 137.0 innings pitched, with Trendle (5-12, 5.15 ERA) close behind with 102.0 IP. … Signey Stoesz (Mountain Lake, Minn. / 0-2, 2.44 ERA) chipped in 28.2 innings in the pitcher's circle. … Chow recorded 13 of the staff's 18 complete games — including seven of her last nine starts — and also owned both Cardinal saves. … Saint Mary's put together a streak of five straight victories in which the Cardinals scored four runs. SMU beat St. Olaf (4-0), Macalester (4-1 and 4-2), Augsburg (4-1), and UW-Eau Claire (4-3), before ending the run with a 3-1 victory over Gustavus on April 26 … Saint Mary's 13 runs in beating Adrian 13-12 on March 1 marked the highest offensive performance by the Cardinals since the 2015 season, when SMU scored 13 runs twice and a season-high 14 runs in a 14-5 win over Carleton. … Saint Mary's nine runs in its 10-9 Game 1 loss to UW-River Falls on March 29 were the most runs scored in a loss since falling to Hamline 10-9 on April 23, 2016. … Saint Mary's finished the year 12-1 when leading after six innings, but were just 2-20 when tied or trailing heading into the seventh inning. … Saint Mary's went 10-10 in games decided by two runs or less — including 6-6 in one-run games. … The Cardinals played four extra-inning games — beating Adrian 13-12 in eight innings, while falling to Augustana 8-7, also in eight innings, and losing to both No. 5 Luther (3-2) and Augsburg (4-3) in nine innings. … The Cardinals' 1-0, 4-0 sweep of the St. Olaf on April 4 marked the first time since 2016 that SMU had posted back-to-back shutouts — Saint Mary's blanked Wartburg (9-0) and John Carroll (8-0) on Feb. 28, 2016. It was also the first time the Cardinals have blanked an MIAC opponent in both games of a doubleheader since shutting out Concordia (4-0, 1-0) on April 26, 2014. … The Cardinals' 4-3 win over Rose-Hulman on Feb. 26 was coach Jen Miller's 200th collegiate coaching win.