By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota fastpitch softball team kicks off conference play with the first of back-to-back home doubleheaders on Saturday, as the Cardinals host Gustavus at the Saint Mary's Field. First pitch is set for 1 p.m.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (0-0 MIAC, 4-10 Overall) vs. Gustavus Gusties (0-0 MIAC, 9-5 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
• Live Stats
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's—March 28, 2019 * La Crosse, Wis.: The Cardinals surrendered an unearned run in the bottom of the seventh inning, as UW-La Crosse opened the teams' nonconference doubleheader with a 6-5, walk-off win. The Eagles limited Saint Mary's to five hits — in five different innings — in completing the sweep with a 6-0 victory in the nightcap | Recap
• Gustavus—March 18, 2019 * Tucson, Ariz.: Gustavus concluded its Arizona trip on top, using solid pitching leave with two victories. The Gusties beat MacMurray 9-1, before beating Edgewood 1-0. The Gustavus pitching staff allowed just four hits and four walks in the 14 innings of action | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Gustavus — Their Last Meeting:
• April 26, 2018 * Gustie Field * St. Peter, Minn.: Saint Mary's was limited to just four runs in its MIAC doubleheader against Gustavus. Fortunately, three of those four runs came in Game 1—and helped Saint Mary's to a conference split. The Cardinals scored single runs in the first, fifth, and seventh innings — and got a complete-game pitching performance from Amber Chow (West St. Paul, Minn.) — en route to a 3-1 win in the opener. In the nightcap, however, Saint Mary's was limited to just three hits — and a lone, fifth-inning run — as Gustavus dealt the Cardinals a 2-1 setback | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals are right back in action on Sunday, as Saint Mary's hosts St. Olaf in a second straight conference doubleheader at Saint Mary's Field. Opening pitch is slated for 1 p.m.
• Gustavus: The Gusties return home to Gustie Field in St. Peter, Minn. on Sunday, entertaining Concordia in a 1 p.m. conference doubleheader.
 
Scouting the Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2019 Roster | 2019 Schedule | 2019 Statistics
• The Cardinals' doubleheader against Gustavus marks the first two home games of the season for the Cardinals, who played their first 14 games on the road. … With Thursday's 6-0, Game 2 loss to UW-La Crosse, the Cardinals have now been held to two runs or less in seven of their 10 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). … Amy Kulaga (Riverside, Ill.) and Erin Sullivan (Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.) accounted for six of the teams' eight hits in the Cardinals' 6-5, Game 1 loss to UW-La Crosse last Thursday. Kulaga went 3-for-3, while Sullivan finished 3-for-4. Saint Mary's five hits in the nightcap against the Eagles came from five different players — in five different innings. … McKayla Ahlrich (Sleepy Eye, Minn.) had one of the Cardinals' five Game 2 hits vs. UW-La Crosse — it was the first of her collegiate career. Ahlrich became the sixth player to record their first hit in a Cardinal uniform this season, joining Sullivan, Kulaga, Signey Stoesz (Mountain Lake, Minn.), DeJaye Baab (Wabasha, Minn.), and Maria Averbeck (Lewiston, Minn.). … Hallie Schmeling (Onalaska, Wis.) owns a team-leading .341 batting average, while also leading or sharing the team lead in hits (14), triples (1), RBIs (9), total bases (18), slugging percentage (.439), and on-base percentage (.404). … Schmeling has a hit in nine of the team's 12 games, including a team-best seven-game hitting streak. … Justine Schultz (Winona, Minn. / .289) is second to Schmeling in hits (13) and total bases (16), while leading the team in doubles (3). … Kulaga and Roni Stevens (Delano, Minn.) have scored a team-high seven runs, while Kulaga also leads the team with eight walks. … The Cardinals are 9-for-10 in stolen base attempts — led by Schultz, who is a perfect 5-for-5. …  The Cardinals boast 22 multiple-hit games — including the first two three-hit contests by Kulaga and Sullivan against UW-La Crosse Thursday. Schultz leads the Cardinals with five multiple-hit games, Schmeling and Tara Nikolich (Chicago, Ill.) both owning four. … Baab, Amber Chow (West St. Paul, Minn.), and 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 has made a team-leading eight starts in the pitcher's circle, two more than Trendle. Chow has logged a team-high 46.2 innings, compiling a 1-5 record and 3.75 ERA, while Trendle boasts a 2-5 record and 3.87 ERA in 38.0 innings. … Stoesz has made five pitching appearances, going 1-0 with a 0.91 ERA in 7.2 innings. … Trendle has struck out a team-best 17 batters, six 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 15-0 in the game's opening inning. … The Cardinals are 3-1 when scoring first, but just 1-9 when their opponent plates the game's first run.
 
Scouting the Gustavus Gusties:
2019 Roster | 2019 Schedule | 2019 Statistics
• Gustavus heads into Saturday's conference opener against Saint Mary's having won three straight and seven of their last eight — the lone loss in that stretch a 3-1 loss to Central-Iowa on March 17. … The Gusties head into Saturday's conference-opener against Saint Mary's sporting a .308 batting average — and boast five players who are batting above .300. … Ashley Neuenfeldt owns the Gusties' leading batting average at .426, followed by Caitlin Kammerer (.390), Aly Freeman (.364), Kenzie Skuza (.316), and Emily Carlson (.306). … Along with her team-best .426 batting average, Neuenfeldt also leads the Gusties in at-bats (47), hits (20), RBIs (12), total bases (29), and slugging percentage (.617). … Neuenfeldt is one of eight Gusties who have recorded 10 or more hits through 14 games, while Kammerer (12) and Neuenfeldt (11) have each scored 10 or more runs. … Freeman leads the team in doubles with eight,, while Kammerer has accounted for three of GAC's four triples. … Skuza leads Gustavus with a par of home runs, with Neuenfeldt and Freeman each belting one round-tripper. … The Gusties are 12-for-13 in the stolen base department, led by Neuenfeldt with four steals in four tries. … Neuenfeldt and Freeman have each recorded a team-high five multiple-hit games, while also sharing the team lead in multiple-RBI performances with three each. … Neuenfeldt enters the Gusties' matchup against Saint Mary's riding an eight-game hitting streak. Emily Carlson, meanwhile, has reached base safely in a team-high nine straight games. … Neuenfeldt and Freeman have been the workhorses in the pitcher's circle for the Gusties, logging 50.1 and 35.2 innings, respectively. … Neuenfeldt owns a 3-3 record and 2.15 ERA in 11 appearances — including six starts — with Freeman sporting a 4-2 mark and a 3.28 ERA in a team-best eight starts. … Neuenfeldt has tossed five of the Gusties' six complete games and owns both of the team's saves. … Neuenfeldt (42) and Freeman (31) have combined for 73 of the team's 76 strikeouts. … Gustavus has outscored its opponents 67-51 — including 185 in the sixth inning. … Gustavus has scored six or more runs in seven of its nine wins — including a pair of games with a season-high 10 runs. GAC scored 10 runs beating Carroll (10-2) on Feb. 23 and Cornell (10-6) on March 14. … On the flip side, the Gusties have been held to two runs or less in all five of their losses this season. … GAC is 4-0 when scoring first and 5-0 when scoring in the first inning. … Gustavus has not lost (8-0) when leading after the sixth inning, but GAC is winless (0-4) when trailing heading into the seventh frame.