CLERMONT, Fla. — The Saint Mary's University fastpitch softball team's final spring trip game was "extra" fun for the Cardinals.
Saint Mary's banged out six extra-base hits — all doubles — and rode the three-hit pitching of reliever
Sarah Kraus (Onalaska, Wis.) to a trip-ending 7-3 victory over Houghton Saturday morning at Legends Way Field.
The Cardinals spotted Houghton a 1-0 lead after the first inning — but that would be the only inning Saint Mary's would not score in, as they plated two runs in the second, one in the third, two in the fourth and one in both the fifth and sixth en route to their fifth straight victory.
Lizzy Baird (Wells, Minn.) drove in SMU's first run in the second with a sacrifice fly and
Heather Nordlund (Byron, Minn.) plated the other with the second of the Cardinals' two second-inning doubles to give Saint Mary's a 2-1 advantage.
After surrendering a solo run in the top of the third to knot the game at 2-2, Saint Mary's answered right back in its half of the inning.
Riley Hall (Dallas Center, Iowa) delivered SMU's third run with an RBI double in the third and
Allison Ciero (Glen Ellyn, Ill.) laced a two-run, two-bagger in the fourth to push the Cardinals' lead to 5-2.
Baird collected her second RBI of the morning — scoring
Cassie Sutor (Chicago, Ill.), who had doubled to open the fifth — and, after Houghton scored its third run in the top of the sixth, Ciero belted a run-scoring single, her third RBI of the day, to seal the 7-3 win.
Ciero closed out the day with three hits in four at-bats, while Baird and Hall each chipped in two hits, and Kraus, Sutor, Cave, Nordlund, and
Amy Kulaga (Riverside, Ill.) owned SMU's other five hits.
Kraus picked up her third pitching win of the season, allowing two runs — one earned — on three hits in 6 1/3 innings of relief. She walked three and struck out five.
The Cardinals, who closed out the spring trip 7-4, are now off until April 2-3, when they kick off Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play with doubleheaders at St. Catherine on April 2 and home against Concordia the following day.
