By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
ST. JOSEPH, Minn. — With temperatures more conducive to outdoor winter activities, the Saint Mary's University fastpitch softball team's bats decided to go into a mid-April hibernation Thursday afternoon against Saint Benedict.
 
And that was not good news for head coach Jen Miller.
 
The Cardinals managed just one run and seven hits — combined — in their two Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference games against Saint Benedict, falling to the Bennies 3-0 in the opener and 4-1 in the nightcap at the CSB Softball Complex.
 
CSB scored all the runs it would need with a solo run in the bottom of the first in the opener. The Bennies would add two more solo runs — one in the fourth and one in the sixth — to complete the Game 1 shutout.
 
 Amber Chow (West St. Paul, Minn.), Maria Averbeck (Lewiston, Minn.), and Roni Stevens (Delano, Minn.) accounted for the Cardinals' three hits in Game 1, while Chow took the loss in the pitcher's circle, despite allowing just three runs on seven hits.
 
Saint Mary's ended its nine-inning scoreless drought with an unearned run in the top of the third, only to have Saint Benedict answer with three runs in its half of the inning, before tacking one another run in the sixth to seal the victory.
 
Justine Schultz (Winona, Minn.) went 2-for-3 to lead the Cardinal offense, with Hallie Schmeling (Onalaska, Wis.) and Amber Trendle (Chicago, Ill.) recording Saint Mayr's other two hits. Trendle suffered the pitching loss, surrendering four runs — just two earned — on five hits.
 
The Cardinals (3-11 MIAC, 7-21 overall) are back in action on Saturday, when they travel to St. Paul, Minn., for a 1 p.m. conference doubleheader against St. Catherine.