By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota fastpitch softball team is back on the road on Monday, as the Cardinals head to the Macalester Softball Complex for a pair of MIAC games against the Scots. First pitch for Game 1 is slated for 4:30 p.m.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (1-7 MIAC, 5-17 Overall) at Macalester Scots (5-3 MIAC, 13-13 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
• Live Stats
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's—April 6, 2019 * Saint Mary's Field * Winona, Minn.: The Cardinals could not get their offense on track in their MIAC DH against Hamline, falling to the Pipers 5-0 in the opener and 6-3 in the nightcap | Recap
• Macalester—April 6, 2019 * Edor Nelson Field * Minneapolis, Minn.: Macalester picked up a split in its conference doubleheader against Augsburg, winning the opening 4-0, before falling in the nightcap 8-5 | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Macalester — Their Last Meeting:
• April 12, 2018 * RCTC Dome * Rochester, Minn.: Macalester scored its lone run in the top of the fourth inning and Saint Mary's answered with a pair of back-to-back two-run doubles in the bottom of the frame, as Saint Mary's opened the teams' MIAC doubleheader with a streak-snapping 4-1 victory. The Cardinals needed two innings to score another four runs in the nightcap, using two-run efforts in the first and third innings to complete the sweep with a 4-2 victory | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals return to action on Thursday, heading to Bethel's Ona Orth Athletic Complex in Arden Hills, Minn., for a pair of MIAC contests against the Royals. Opening pitch in Game 1 is set for 3:30 p.m.
• Macalester: The Scots return to the Macalester Softball Complex in St. Paul, Minn., on Thursday for the second of four straight home conference doubleheaders, hosting St. Catherine in a 3:30 p.m. twinbill.
 
Scouting the Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2019 Roster | 2019 Schedule | 2019 Statistics
• With Saturday's 5-0 Game 1 loss to Hamline, the Cardinals have now been held to two runs or less in 12 of their 17 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. … Amber Chow (West St. Paul, Minn.) went 2-for-3 in the opener against Hamline — giving her 11 hits in a six-game span. Roni Stevens (Delano, Minn.) collected three hits and Hallie Schmeling (Onalaska, Wis.) added two in the nightcap. … One of Schmeling's two hits against the Pipers in the second game Saturday was a home run — the first round-tripper of her career. … Chow heads into the Cardinals' doubleheader against Macalester leading the team with a .328 batting average, followed by Stevens (.286), Justine Schultz (Winona, Minn. / .281), Paige Gudmundson (Plainview, Minn. / .265), and Schmeling (.262). … Chow owns a team-leading 20 hits, two more than Schultz, while Schmeling (17), Stevens (14), and Tara Nikolich (Chicago, Ill / 14) have also recorded 10 or more hits. … Stevens leads the team with 10 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 10 runs, while Schultz and Schmeling are the team-leaders in total bases with 24. … 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 29 multiple-hit games — including the first two three-hit contests by Kulaga and Sullivan against UW-La Crosse on March 28. Schultz and Chow lead the Cardinals with six multiple-hit games. … 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 12 starts in the pitcher's circle, two more than Amber Trendle (Chicago, Ill.). Chow has logged a team-high 80.1 innings, compiling a 2-8 record and 4.18 ERA, while Trendle boasts a 2-9 record and 4.20 ERA in 55.0 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 20-8 in the first and 24-9 in the fourth. … The Cardinals have played eight one-run games, going 3-5. … The Cardinals are 3-3 when scoring first, but just 2-14 when their opponent plates the game's first run.
 
Scouting the Macalester Scots:
2019 Roster | 2019 Schedule | 2019 Statistics
• Macalester's doubleheader against Saint Mary's is the first of four straight home doubleheaders for the Scots, who are 2-2 at Macalester Stadium this season. … The Scots picked up their second doubleheader sweep of the season with 9-6, 8-1 wins over Concordia on April 3. Macalester, which has played seven doubleheaders this season, picked up its other sweep of the year with a pair of 9-5 wins over Mount Mary to open the season on Feb. 16. … The Scots enter their DH against Saint Mary's boasting six players hitting .300 or better, led by Julia Carpenter's team-high .444 batting average. Kennedy Kechely (.387), Kaela Jackson (.344), Claire O'Connor (.317), Emily Bergin (.310), and Audrey Meade (.309) are the others. … Along with her team-leading .444 batting average, Carpenter also leads the Scots in at-bats (90), runs (30), hits (40), total bases (43), and slugging percentage (.478). … Jackson, who is second to Carpenter with 31 hits, owns team-highs in doubles (7) and RBIs (26), while Bergin has laced a team-leading three triples. … Kechely and Meade have hit the Scots' two home runs this season. … Macalester has stolen 46 bases in 55 attempts this year, led by Carpenter, who is 18-for-20. … Carpenter has delivered a team-best 13 multiple-hit games — including five, three-hit performances and one four-hit effort. … Jackson has amassed six multiple-RBI games to lead the Scots. … Carpenter put together a team-high 13-game hitting streak earlier this season, while Kate Lawhead reached base safely in each of the Scots' first 19 games, before being held off the base paths in Game 2 vs. Augsburg Saturday. … Sophie Migacz has been the workhorse in the pitcher's circle for the Scots, logging 125.1 innings. She has compiled a 9-10 record and 3.57 ERA in 24 appearances — including 20 starts. … Migacz has thrown eight of the team's 10 complete games and has struck out a team-best 85 batters. … Meade (1-2, 4.55 ERA, 32.1 IP) has pitched in 12 games, including five starts, while Emily Cekander (2-0, 7.92 ERA, 17.2 IPI) has made nine appearances — eight in relief. … Macalester has scored more than 10 runs in a game just once, plating 11 in an 11-2 win over Knox on March 2.