By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
LA CROSSE, Wis. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota fastpitch softball team is back in action on Thursday, as the Cardinals head to UW-La Crosse's North Campus Field for a 3 p.m. nonconference doubleheader against the Eagles.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (4-8 Overall) at UW-La Crosse Eagles (10-8 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
• Live Stats
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's—March 15, 2019 * Rochester, Minn.: Saint Mary's managed just five hits against a pair of Luther pitchers, as the Norse dealt the Cardinals 5-0 and 3-2 nonconference setbacks at the RCTC Dome | Recap
• UW-La Crosse—March 16-20, 2019 * Tucson, Ariz.: The Eagles finished with a 5-5 record during their spring trip to Arizona — including wins over Central-Iowa (8-6), Hamline (3-2), MacMurray (16-0), Edgewood (15-2), and Centre (2-0) | Spring Trip Recaps
 
Saint Mary's vs. UW-La Crosse — Their Last Meeting:
• March 27, 2019 * Winona, Minn.: Saint Mary's entered its nonconference doubleheader against UW-La Crosse looking to extend its two-game winning streak — but the red-hot Eagles had other ideas, as UW-L dealt the Cardinals a pair of losses, 3-0 and 11-3 at the Saint Mary's Field | Recap 
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals are right back in action on Saturday, as Saint Mary's kicks off Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play with a pair of games against Gustavus at the Saint Mary's Field. Opening pitch in Game 1 is set for 1 p.m.
• UW-La Crosse: The Eagles head across town next Tuesday for a pair of exhibition games against cross-town rival Viterbo. First pitch in the opener is scheduled for 3 p.m.
 
Scouting the Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2019 Roster | 2019 Schedule | 2019 Statistics
• With Wednesday's contests against UW-La Crosse, the Cardinals are in the midst of 12 straight road games. Saint Mary's is scheduled to kick off the home portion of its schedule on Saturday — weather permitting — against Gustavus. … With their 5-0 and 3-2 losses to Luther on March 15, the Cardinals have now been held to two runs or less in six of their eight losses this season. … Saint Mary's has 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). … Hallie Schmeling (Onalaska, Wis.) and Marissa Kleckler (Oregon, Wis.) picked up Saint Mary's two hits in its 5-0, Game 1 loss to Luther on March 15, while Justin Schultz (Winona, Minn.), Signey Stoesz (Mountain Lake, Minn.), and Erin Sullivan (Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.) had the Cardinals' three hits in the nightcap. … The hits by Stoesz and Sullivan were both collegiate firsts. … Saint Mary's now boasts five players who have recorded their first hits in a Cardinal uniform this season. Amy Kulaga (Riverdale, Ill.), DeJaye Baab (Wabasha, Minn.), and Maria Averbeck (Lewiston, Minn.) collected their first collegiate hits during the Cardinals' 10-game spring trip. … Schmeling owns a team-leading .429 batting average, while also leading or sharing the team lead in hits (13), triples (1), RBIs (8), total bases (17), slugging percentage (.500), and on-base percentage (.450). … Schmeling has a hit in nine of the team's 12 games, including a team-best seven-game hitting streak. … Justine Schultz (Winona, Minn.) is second to Schmeling with a .300 batting average, while leading the team in doubles (3) and sitting second in hits (12), total bases (15), slugging percentage (.375) and on-base percentage (.318). … Roni Stevens (Delano, Minn.) has scored a team-high seven runs, one more than Kulaga, who leads the team with eight walks. … The Cardinals are 8-for-9 in stolen base attempts — led by Schultz, who is a perfect 4-for-4. …  The Cardinals boast 20, two-hit games through 12 games — led by Schultz with five, and Schmeling and Tara Nikolich (Chicago, Ill.) with four each. … Baab, Amber Chow (West St. Paul, Minn.), 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 six starts in the pitcher's circle. Chow has logged a team-high 40.0 innings, compiling a 1-4 record and 3.67 ERA, while Trendle owns a 2-4 record and 3.78 ERA in 33.1 innings of work. Stoesz has made four pitching appearances, going 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA in 6.1 innings. … Trendle has struck out a team-best 15 batters, five 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 13-0 in the game's opening inning. … The Cardinals are 3-1 when scoring first, but just 1-7 when their opponent plates the game's first run.
 
Scouting the UW-La Crosse Eagles:
2019 Roster | 2019 Schedule | 2019 Statistics
• Saint Mary's is the fourth of five opponents from the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference on the Eagles' schedule. UW-L has already beaten St. Catherine (3-1 and 5-1) and Hamline (3-2), while falling to Augsburg (3-1). The Eagles also have a pair of games against St. Thomas on their schedule. … UW-La Crosse had its season-high four-game winning streak snapped with a spring trip-opening 10-2 loss to Millikin on March 16. … UW-L dropped its first three spring-trip games, before closing out the 10-game trip going 5-2 — highlighted by an 8-6 win over 15th-ranked Central-Iowa on March 17. … The Eagles head into their doubleheader against Saint Mary's hitting .325 as a team — and boast six players with 20 or more at-bats hitting above .300 — led by Kathryn VanderSchaaf (.550), Kendra Leis (.436), Katie Block (.421), and Nicole Trussoni (.417). … Leis and Block share the team lead with 24 hits each, while Leis also leads the Eagles in doubles (9), RBIs (19), total bases (41), and slugging percentage (.745). … Block and Mia Schmidtke (.340) have each launched a team-leading three home runs, while Leis has chipped in two round-trippers. … Leis and Block have each posted a team-best eight multiple-hit games — including one four-hit effort each — while Mallorie Segobiano has delivered a team-leading six multiple-RBI games. … Block put together a team-best 11-game hitting streak earlier this season, with VanderSchaaf's eight-game run the Eagles' longest active hit streak. … UW-La Crosse has eight players with 10 or more hits through 18 games and five players have scored 10 or more runs. … The Eagles have collected 166 hits, including 52 that have gone for extra bases — 38 doubles, three triples, and 11 home runs. … UW-La Crosse is 13-for-17 in stolen base attempts, with Sabrina Scardamaglia (.318) leading the way with three steals. … UW-La Crosse has used four different pitchers this season, led by Caitlyn Hughes (7-1, 2.23 ERA) and Maddie Muelken (1-3, 2.50 ERA), who have logged 47.0 and 36.1 innings, respectively. … Sydne Shattuck (2-3, 5.03 ERA) has chipped in 23.2 innings in the pitcher's circle, and Mattie Bredeson (0-1, 11.00 ERA) has thrown 7.0 innings. … Hughes has made a team-high nine starts and shares the lead in appearances (10) with Muelken. … Hughes boasts five complete games and Muelken owns the Eagles' two saves. … UW-L's pitching staff has recorded 73 strikeouts, led by Hughes with 40 and Muelken with 20. … UW-La Crosse has outscored its opponents 104-77 — including 22-9 in the second inning, 34-13 in the fourth, and 12-1 in the fifth. … The Eagles have held their opponents to two runs or less in eight of their 10 wins this season. … UW-L is 5-3 when scoring in the first inning and 7-2 when plating the game's first run. The Eagles are unbeaten (8-0) when leading after the fourth inning, but are winless (0-7) when trailing heading into the fifth. … UW-La Crosse has sored 10 or ore runs three times — including scoring a combined 31 runs in sweeping MacMurray (16-0) and Edgewood (15-2) on March 19.