By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
ROCHESTER, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota fastpitch softball team is back in action on Friday, as the Cardinals head to the RCTC Dome for a pair of nonconference games against Luther.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (4-6 Overall) vs. Luther Norse (4-2 Overall)

GameDay Live On The Web:
• Live Stats * Live Audio
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's—February 25-March 2, 2019 * Clermont, Fla.: The Cardinals are coming off a 4-6 showing in their 10-game spring trip — including wins over Alma, Rose-Hulman, Capital, and Hanover | Recaps
• Luther—March 3, 2019 * Rochester, Minn.: The Norse picked up a pair of shutout victories in the RCTC Dome, blanking Macalester 8-0 in six innings and Ripon 9-0 in five innings | Macalester Recap * Ripon Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Luther — Their Last Meeting:
• April 5, 2018 * Rochester, Minn.: Less than 24 hours after posting back-to-back shutouts in a 1-0, 4-0 sweep of St. Olaf, Saint Mary's was involved in another shutout in Game 1 against Luther. This time around, however, the Cardinals found themselves on the wrong end of the shutout spectrum, as the fifth-ranked Norse scored at least one run in every inning in dealing Saint Mary's a 9-0, five-inning setback at the RCTC Dome. The Cardinals limited the high-powered Norse to just a single run for eight innings in the nightcap, but a two-run ninth—including a walk-off single by Blake Banowetz—lifted Luther to a 3-2, come-from-behind victory | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals are back in action on March 27, weather permitting, as they head to La Crosse, Wis., for a pair of nonconference games against UW-La Crosse.
• Luther: The Norse head to Clermont, Fla., beginning on March 23 — squaring off against Rutgers and the University of Chicago in the first of 10 spring trip games to Clermont, Fla.
 
Scouting the Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2019 Roster | 2019 Schedule | 2019 Statistics
• The Cardinals enter their nonconference doubleheader against Luther on the heels of a 4-6 showing during their 10-game spring trip to Clermont, Fla. … Saint Mary's scored three runs or less in two of their four wins — beating Rose-Hulman 1-0 and Capital 3-1 — while plating 10 or more runs in topping Alma (10-9) and Hanover (11-3). … The Cardinals have been held to two runs or less in four of their six losses this season. … Hallie Schmeling (Onalaska, Wis.) hit a team-leading .429 during the Cardinals' spring trip, while also leading or sharing the tea lead in  in hits (12), triples (1), RBIs (8), total bases (16), slugging percentage (.571), and on-base percentage (.500). … Schmeling — who had a hit in eight of the team's 10 spring trip games, including a team-best seven-game hitting streak — was one of three Cardinals with 10 or more hits through the first 10 games of the season — Justine Schultz (Winona, Minn.) and Tara Nikolich (Chicago, Ill.) each finished the spring trip with 11 hits. … Schultz (.324), Nikolich (.324), Amber Chow (West St. Paul, Minn. / .308), and DeJaye Baab (Wabasha, Minn. / .308) join Schmeling with batting averages above .300. … Amy Kulaga (Riverdale, Ill.) leads the team with seven walks, two more than Schmeling, Chow, and Baab. … The Cardinals, who hit .256 as a team during their 190-game spring trip, are 7-for-8 in stolen base attempts — led by Schultz, who was a perfect 3-for-3. … Kulaga, Baab, and Maria Averbeck (Lewiston, Minn.) collected their first collegiate hits during the Cardinals' 10-game spring trip. … The Cardinals boasted 20, two-hit games during their 10-game spring trip — led by Schultz with five, and Schmeling and Nikolich with four each. … Chow, Baab, and Roni Stevens (Delano, Minn.) all recorded their first two, two-hit games during Saint Mary's spring trip. … Schmeling delivered her first career five-RBI game in the Cardinals' season-opening 10-9 win over Alma on Feb. 24. … Chow and Amber Trendle (Chicago, Ill.) have each made five starts in the pitcher's circle. Chow has logged a team-high 33.0 innings, compiling a 1-3 record and 3.61 ERA, while Trendle owns a 2-3 record and 3.75 ERA in 28.0 innings of work. Signey Stoesz (Mountain Lake, Minn.) has made three appearances, going 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA in 5.2 innings. … Trendle has struck out a team-best 15 batters, eight more than Chow. … Trendle struck out a career-high eight batters in the Cardinals' 1-0 win over Rose-Hulman on Feb. 25. … Stoesz pitched one inning of shutout, one-hit relief en route to her first collegiate pitching win in the Cardinals' season-opening, 10-9 victory over Alma. … The Cardinals are still searching for the first, first-inning run. Saint Mary's has been outscored 8-0 in the game's opening inning. … The Cardinals are 3-1 when scoring first, but just 1-5 when their opponent plates the game's first run.
 
Scouting the Luther Norse:
2019 Roster | 2019 Schedule | 2019 Statistics
• The Norse began 2019 ranked No. 10 in the first NFCA Top 25 Poll, but dropped out of the Top 25 after going 4-2 in their first six games of the season. … Luther's nonconference doubleheader against Saint Mary's marks the seventh and eighth games the Norse will have played in the RCTC Dome this season. Luther has already faced Gustavus (W, 2-1), Carroll, L, 5-4, 8 innings), St. Olaf (W, 1-0), Bethany Lutheran (L, 5-4, 8 innings), and Ripon (W, 9-0) in the RCTC Dome. … Blake Banowetz heads into Friday's matchup against Saint Mary's as Luther's offensive leader, hitting a team-high .588, while also leading the Norse in runs (6), hits (10), slugging percentage (.824), walks (5), and on-base percentage (.682). … Banowetz is one of four Norse players hitting above .300 through six games — Abby Gehringer (.450), Sierra Freeland (.400), and Paige Timmerman (.333) are the others. … Gehringer leads the team in doubles (7), RBIs (5), and total bases (16), while sitting second to Banowetz in hits (9), slugging percentage (.800), and on-base percentage (.500). … Banowetz has had two or more hits in four of Luther's six games, while Annie See and Maleah Georgen lead the team with two multiple-hit games each. … Gehringer heads into Friday's doubleheader against Saint Mary's having hit safely in all six Norse contests this season. …  Luther has recorded 18 extra-base hits this season — with all 18 being doubles. … The Norse are hitting .263 as a team, while their opponents are hitting .252. … Luther has used four different pitchers this season — with Samantha Bratland and Kendra Cooper carrying the majority of the workload. Bratland boasts a 3-2 record and 0.29 ERA in 24.0 innings of work, while Coopers is 0-0 with a 3.18 ERA in 11.0 innings. … Bratland has tossed both of Luther's complete games and leads the staff with 22 strikeouts. … Luther recorded season-highs in runs (9), hits (10), and doubles (5) in its 9-0, five-inning win over Ripon March 3.