By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota fastpitch softball team returns home to the Saint Mary's Field on Saturday, as the Cardinals play host to Hamline in a conference doubleheader. Opening pitch is set for 1 p.m.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (1-5 MIAC, 5-15 Overall) vs. Hamline Pipers (2-3 MIAC, 9-12 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
• Live Stats
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's—April 3, 2019 * Ele Hansen Field * Northfield, Minn.: The Cardinals offense struggled to find its rhythm against Carleton, managing just three runs in falling to the Knights 7-1 and 10-2 | Recap
• Hamline—April 5, 2019 * Meredith Field * St. Paul, Minn.: The Pipers scored five runs in both of their games against St. Thomas, but it was only good enough for a split, as HU beat the Tommies 5-1 in the opener, before dropping an 8-5 decision in Game 2 | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Hamline — Their Last Meeting:
• April 8, 2018 * RCTC Dome * Rochester, Minn.: The Pipers rallied for three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to deal Saint Mary's a 3-1 setback in Game 1, before using another late-game, sixth-inning rally — this time plating a pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth — to complete the sweep with a 6-4 win in the nightcap | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals are right back in action on Sunday, heading to the Macalester Softball Complex in St. Paul, Minn., for a 1 p.m. MIAC doubleheader against the Scots.
• Hamline: The Pipers return home to Meredith Field in St. Paul, Minn., on Sunday, playing host to Saint Benedict for a pair of conference games. Game time in the opener is set for 1 p.m.
 
Scouting the Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2019 Roster | 2019 Schedule | 2019 Statistics
• The Cardinals play four of their next six games on their home field — sandwiching doubleheaders against Hamline and Bethel around a road twinbill at Macalester. … With Wednesday's 7-1 and 10-2 losses to Carleton, the Cardinals have now been held to two runs or less in 11 of their 15 losses. On the flip side, Saint Mary's 5-4 win over Gustavus in the opener on March 30 marked the first time this season they have scored more than three runs, and less than 10, in a victory. … Saint Mary's five hits in the opener against Carleton Wednesday came from five different players — Marissa Kleckler (Oregon, Wis.), Paige Gudmundson (Plainview, Minn.), Justine Schultz (Winona, Minn.), Trendle (Chicago, Ill.), and Roni Stevens (Delano, Minn.). … Amber Chow (West St. Paul, Minn.) went 3-for-3 in the second game against Carleton Wednesday. It was the second straight 3-for-3, Game 2 performance for the sophomore, who was also 3-for-3 in Game 2 against St. Olaf last Sunday. … Chow has now recorded nine hits in her last five games, having also delivered a pair of hits in Saint Mary's Game 2 loss to Gustavus last Saturday. … Chow heads into the Cardinals' doubleheader against Hamline leading the team with a .327 batting average, followed by Paige Gudmundson (Plainview, Minn. / .290), Justine Schultz (Winona, Minn. / .276), and Tara Nikolich (Chicago, Ill. / .264). … Chow owns a team-leading 18 hits, two more than Schultz, while Hallie Schmeling (Onalaska, Wis. / 15), Nikolich (14), and Roni Stevens (Delano, Minn. / 10) have also recorded 10 or more hits. … Stevens leads the team with nine runs scored, while Schultz has belted a team-high six doubles and Schmeling and Amy Kulaga (Riverside, Ill.) have hit the Cardinals' two triples. … Schmeling has driven in a team-high nine runs, while Chow is the team-leader in total bases (20) and on-base percentage (.422). … Saint Mary's boasts six players who have recorded their first hits in a Cardinal uniform this season. McKayla Ahlrich (Sleepy Eye, Minn.) had one of the Cardinals' five Game 2 hits vs. UW-La Crosse on March 28, while Signey Stoesz (Mountain Lake, Minn.) and Erin Sullivan (Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.) recorded theirs against Luther on March 15, and Kulaga, DeJaye Baab (Wabasha, Minn.), and Averbeck collected their first collegiate hits during the Cardinals' 10-game spring trip. … The Cardinals are 9-for-11 in stolen base attempts — led by Schultz, who is a perfect 5-for-5. … The Cardinals boast 26 multiple-hit games — including the first two three-hit contests by Kulaga and Sullivan against UW-La Crosse on March 28. Schultz leads the Cardinals with six multiple-hit games, while Chow has five, and Schmeling and Nikolich both own four. … Baab, Chow, and Stevens all recorded their first 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. … Saint Mary's collected a season-high nine walks in their 3-2 Game 1 loss to St. Olaf on March 31. It the most walks in a game since inducing nine walks from Macalester pitchers during the 2015 season. … Chow has made a team-leading 11 starts in the pitcher's circle, two more than Trendle. Chow has logged a team-high 73.1 innings, compiling a 2-7 record and 4.10 ERA, while Trendle boasts a 2-8 record and 4.38 ERA in 48.0 innings. … Stoesz has made seven pitching appearances, going 1-0 with a 4.38 ERA in 8.0 innings. … Trendle has struck out a team-best 23 batters, two 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 have scored six first-inning runs this season — five coming in their first at-bat against Gustavus on March 30. … Saint Mary's has outscored its opponents 15-10 in the fifth inning, but have been outscored 16-6 in the first and 23-9 in the fourth. … The Cardinals have played eight one-run games, going 3-5. … The Cardinals are 3-3 when scoring first, but just 2-12 when their opponent plates the game's first run.
 
Scouting the Hamline Pipers:
2019 Roster | 2019 Schedule | 2019 Statistics
• After 19 straight road games, the Pipers officially kicked off their home season Friday against St. Thomas. The Pipers played just four games at Meredith Field a year ago, finishing 2-2. … Hamline headed into Friday's showdown against St. Thomas having played three straight games decided by one run — including a 10-inning 5-4 loss to St. Catherine on Wednesday. … The Pipers' 5-1, Game 1 win over St. Thomas Friday snapped their two-game losing streak. Megan Rubbelke is the Pipers' offensive leader, owning a .385 batting average. She is one of three Pipers hitting at or above .300 — Delaney Kohler (.343) and Riley Husom (.317) are the other two. … Rubbelke is the team-leader in hits (25), doubles (4), home runs (3), RBIs (15), total bases (38), and slugging percentage (.585). … Kohler, meanwhile, leads or shares the team lead in at-bats (67), runs (14), doubles (4), and triples (3). … Hamline has collected 38 extra-base hits this season, including 23 doubles, six triples and nine home runs. … Along with Rubbelke's team-leading three home runs, the Pipers have also gotten a pair of home runs from Anna O'Connor and Kira Krueger, with Theresa Kinnert and Alex Molloy each adding one. … The Pipers have stolen 33 bases on 37 attempts, led by Husom, who is a perfect 8-for-8. … Rubbelke has recorded a team-best eight multiple-hit games, one more than Kohler, while Rubbelke and Kira Krueger share the team lead with four multiple-RBI performances. … The Pipers have used four different pitchers inside the circle this season, led by Molloy, who has logged a team-high 78.1 innings. Molloy has compiled a 7-5 record and 1.79 ERA in 14 appearances. … Krueger (1-3, 3.71 ERA) has hurled 28.1 innings in 11 appearances — nine in relief — while Sabrina (Warden (1-3, 5.07 ERA) has thrown 19.1 innings in six outings and Kinnert (0-1, 5.42 ERA) has tossed 10.1 innings in five appearances. … Hamline has scored six or more runs four times this season, including a season-high nine runs in a 9-4 win over UW-Stevens Point on March 4.