SAINT MARY’S CARDINALS

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2023: 2-2 MIAC, 8-10 Overall

CARLETON KNIGHTS

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2023: 0-0 MIAC, 9-7 Overall

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SMU-CAR * LAST MEETING:

April 9, 2023 * Winona, MN

L, 3-2 (9); L, 6-2 * Series History

SAINT MARY’S * LAST ACTION:

April 6, 2023 * Winona, MN

St. Catherine * L, 11-2; W, 7-2

CARLETON * LAST ACTION:

March 24, 2023 * Winter Haven, FL

Wash. & Jeff. * L, 7-6

Elmhurst * W, 3-1

SAINT MARY’S * UP NEXT:

April 11, 2023 * Winona, MN

St. Olaf * 3:30 p.m.

CARLETON * UP NEXT: 

April 11, 2023 * Northfield, MN

Hamline * 3:30 p.m.

SAINT MARY’S CARDINALS SCOUTING REPORT:

• FOR THE RECORD: Saint Mary’s heads into its conference doubleheader against Carleton sitting at 8-10 overall, including 2-2 through its first two MIAC contests.

• LAST TIME OUT: For the second straight MIAC doubleheader, the Cardinals came away with a split, as St. Catherine jumped out to a 4-0 first-inning lead and never looked back in routing SMU 11-2 in the opener, only to have the Cardinals turn the tables, scoring six first-inning runs en route to a 7-2 victory in Game 2 Friday at the Saint Mary’s Field.

• NCAA FOES: The Cardinals have already faced four teams — Bethany Lutheran, Nebraska Wesleyan, Cabrini, and Alma — that played in the NCAA tournament a year ago.

• AT THE PLATE: As a team, Saint Mary’s is hitting .303 through 18 games, and boasts six regulars who are hitting above .300. … Heather Nordlund (Byron, Minn.) leads the way with a .435 batting average, followed by Peyton Berg (Chatfield, Minn. / .390), Ali French (Winona, Minn. / .375), Naleya Bork (De Pere, Wis. / .346), and Allison Ciero (Glen Ellyn, Ill. / .322). 

• RUNNING WILD: After scoring 183 runs in 33 games a year ago, Saint Mary’s has already plated 93 runs through 18 games this season. … Riley Hall (Dallas Center, Iowa) has scored a team-leading 21 times, while Allison Ciero (Glen Ellyn, Ill.) and Bork have also reached double figures with 13 and 12 runs scored, respectively. … SMU has had a player score three runs in a game three times this season.

• HIT PARADE: Nordlund has racked up a team-leading 20 hits, one more than Ciero and two up on Bork. Berg (16), Hall (15), and Abbie Stigler (Menomonie, Wis. / 15) have also delivered more than 10 hits through 18 games. … Ciero and Nordlund have put together a team-leading six multiple-hit games, while Berg and Bork have posted five multiple-hit games this season. … French owns the team’s only four-hit performance — going 4-for-4 in a season-opening 8-0 win over Crown on Feb. 18.

• EXTRA, EXTRA: Forty-eight of the Cardinals’ 152 hits through 18 games have been for extra bases — including 37 doubles, one triple and 10 home runs. … Bork (6) and Berg (5) lead the team in doubles, while Hall has hit SMU’s lone triple.

• GOING YARD: After delivering just five home runs a year ago, Saint Mary’s has already launched 10 round-trippers this season — including three in its last four games. Bork leads the team with three HRs, with Hall (2), Nordlund, Stigler, Sutor, French, and Jada Allen (Stevens Point, Wis.) owning the other seven. … The home runs by Bork, Nordlund, Stigler, Hall, Allen, and French were all collegiate firsts.

• DRIVING ‘EM IN: Nordlund and Bork have each reached double figures in RBIs through 18 games, with Nordlund leading the way with 15, three more than Bork. Stigler is third with nine RBIs. … Nordlund has amassed a team-leading five multiple-RBI games, one more than Bork, with Stigler, Ciero, Berg, and Cassie Sutor (Chicago, Ill.) each owning two.

• TOUGH TO STOP: Ciero closed out the 2022 season having hit safely in each of the Cardinals’ last nine games, and extended that streak to 12 with hits in SMU’s first three games in 2023, before being held hitless against Bethany Lutheran on Feb. 19. … Fink owns the team’s longest active hit streak at five.

• CAN’T CATCH ME: Saint Mary’s, which stole 70 bases in 2022, has already stolen 45 bases this season – led by Hall (12-for-12), Ciero (7-8), and Stigler (6-8). … SMU has gotten at least one stolen base from 11 different players.

• OUCH: Hall, who was hit by a pitch 12 times last season — tied for 11th-most in NCAA Division III — has already been hit eight times this season. … Hall was hit by three pitches against Rosemont on March 3, tied for the highest single-game total in NCAA Division in 2022.

• IN THE CIRCLE: Saint Mary’s has used five different pitchers this season, with Bork leading the way, tossing 55.0 innings, compiling a 3-5 record and a 3.56 ERA. Sarah Kraus (Onalaska, Wis.) is second on the staff with 50.0 IP (2-5, 4.06 ERA), while Izzy Griffin (0-0, 2.33 ERA, 3.0 IP), Sutor (1-0, 1.05 ERA, 6 2/3 IP), and Amy Gappa (Trempealeau, Wis. / 0-0, 3.50 ERA, 4.0 IP) have also seen time in the circle. … Kraus and Bork have each tossed four complete games, and both share the team lead with 11 appearances.

• PITCHING FIRSTS: Bork picked up her first pitching win of the season against Bethany Lutheran n Feb. 18, allowing one run on four hits in four innings of a 5-1 Saint Mary’s win.

• FANNING THE FLAMES: Cardinal pitchers have combined to strike out 79 batters through 18 games, led by Kraus (37) and Bork (28). … Bork struck out a career-high 10 batters in the Cardinals’ 8-3 win over Houghton on Feb. 27. The 10 strikeouts were the most by a Cardinal pitcher since Amber Chow fanned 10 against Gustavus on April 17, 2021.

• WEEKLY HONORS: Heather Nordlund (Byron, Minn.) was named MIAC Player of the Week on March 6, after hitting .500 (10-for-20), with a double and a home run, in SMU’s eight spring trip games. It was the first weekly honor for the Cardinal sophomore.

• CRUNCHING THE NUMBERS: The Cardinals have outscored their first 18 opponents 93-78 — including 20-11 in the second inning, 14-5 in the fourth, and 11-3 in the fifth. … SMU has scored 10 or more runs in a game twice, highlighted by a season-high 13-run effort in its 13-1, five-inning victory over North Central on Feb.18. … Saint Mary’s is 6-2 in games decided by five or more runs, but 1-4 in one- or two-run games. … The Cardinals have held their opponent to two runs or less in six of their nine wins. On the flip side, SMU is 0-6 when failing to plate more than two runs. … Saint Mary’s, which scored four or more runs in an inning 13 times last season — including a season-high seven-run sixth inning in its 12-3 win over Rosemont on March 3, 2022 — has scored four or more runs in an inning six times this season. SMU scored a season-high eight runs in the first inning of its 13-1 win over North Central on Feb. 19.

CARLETON KNIGHTS SCOUTING REPORT:

• FOR THE RECORD: Carleton enters its conference twinbill against Saint Mary’s sitting at 9-7 overall through its first 16 games of the regular season. The Knights’ matchup with SMU is its first conference DH of the year.

• LAST TIME OUT: The Knights have been off since March 24, when they closed out their 12-game spring trip to Winter Haven, Fla., with a 7-6 loss to Washington & Jefferson and a 3-1 win over Elmhurst.

• 4TH TIME’S THE CHARM: Carleton’s doubleheader against Saint Mary’s marks the fourth try at a conference opener for the Knights, who have had their first three scheduled MIAC doubleheader — against Concordia, Gustavus, and Saint Benedict — all postponed due to weather. 

• STREAKING: Carleton kicked off its 2023 campaign rattling off five straight wins, but has gone just 4-7 in its last 11 contests. The Knights 3-1, spring trip-ending win over Elmhurst on March 24 snapped their season-high three-game losing streak.

• LEADING THE CHARGE: As a team, Carleton enters its DH against Saint Mary’s hitting an impressive .354 and boasts six players who have hitting .300 or better through 16 games. … Cassie Cunniff has gone 34-for-57 en route to a team-best .596 batting average, while Bryanna Schaffer (.491), Nikki Marsh (.448) are also batting north of .400, and Helen Moses (.359), Laurie Avila (.348), and Adriana Wiggins (.313) all own batting averages above the .300 mark.

• ON THE RUN: Cunniff has scored a team-high 27 runs in 16 contests. She is one of three Knights who have reached double digits in runs scored, being joined by Schaffer (13) and Moses (10). … Cunniff scored a season-high four runs against Crown on Feb. 25.

• HIT PARADE: Carleton has eight players who have collected 10 or more hits this season, led by Cunniff’s 34. Schaffer is second with 26 hits, followed by Avila (16), Wiggins (15), Moses (14), Marsh (13), Grace Colburn (11), and Emma Kartheiser (11). … Cunniff has recorded at least two hits in 12 of the Knight’s 16 games, while Schaffer is second on the team with nine multiple-hit contests. … Cunniff delivered a single-game season-high four hits against Crown on Feb. 25.

• EXTRA, EXTRA: Carleton has banged out 154 hits in 16 games, including 32 for extra bases — 29 doubles, eight triples, and five home runs. … Cunniff leads the way for the Knights, owning eight doubles, four triples, and three of the team’s five round-trippers. … Schaffer also owns one at least one extra-base hit in all three categories with three doubles, one triple, and one home run. 

• DRIVING ‘EM HOME: Cunniff and Schaffer share the team lead in RBIs with 16, with Wiggins chipping in 12 and Avila owning 10. … Schaffer has racked up a team-leading four multiple-RBI games, including the Knights’ lone four-RBI performance of the year against Crown on Feb. 25. 

• STREAKING ALONG: Cunniff had her season-long 15-game hitting streak snapped in Carleton’s 3-1 win over Elmhurst on March 25. Avila heads into Carleton’s DH against Saint Mary’s with the team’s longest active hit streak at three games. 

• ON THE MOUND: Carleton has used five different pitchers through 16 games, with three throwing more than 10 innings. Faith Hanshaw (5-2, 5.28 ERA) has logged a team-high 44 1/3 innings, followed by Hala Sollman (4-1, 2.15 ERA) with 29 1/3 IP and Bryanna Schaffer (0-2, 5.56 ERA) with 11 1/3. … Hanshaw leads the Knights in wins (5), starts (7), appearances (9), and complete games (5).

• FANNING THE FLAMES: Carleton pitchers have combined to strikeout 40 batters in 98 1/3 innings, led by Hanshaw with 22. Sollman is second on the squad with 11 Ks and Schaffer has chipped in four.

• CRUNCHING THE NUMBERS: Carleton has outscored its opponents 102-88 in 16 games, and has plated 10 or more runs four times — including 10-run efforts against Martin Luther (W, 10-2) and UW-Eau Claire (W, 10-2), a 12-run showing against Middlebury (W, 12-4), and a season-high 15-run outburst in drubbing Crown (14-5). On the flip side, the Knights have allowed 10+ runs three times, falling to Kalamazoo (10-0), Amherst (12-1), and Framingham State (14-6). … Carleton has limited its opponents to two runs or less in five of its nine wins. The Knights have been limited to less than three runs just four times in 16 contests, and has been held off the scoreboard all together just once, dropping a 10-0 decision to Kalamazoo on March 23.