The Saint Mary’s fastpitch softball team hits the road on Wednesday, as the Cardinals travel to Bethel’s Ona Orth Park in Arden Hills, Minn., for a 3:30 p.m. conference doubleheader against the Royals.

SAINT MARY’S CARDINALS

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2023: 10-6 MIAC, 18-14 Overall

BETHEL ROYALS

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2023: 16-0 MIAC, 27-3 Overall

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SMU-BET * LAST MEETING:

April 19, 2023 * Winona, MN

L, 2-0; L, 3-0 * Series History

SAINT MARY’S * LAST ACTION:

May 2, 2023 * Moorhead, MN

Concordia * W, 7-4; W, 6-2

BETHEL * LAST ACTION:

April 29, 2023 * Arden Hills, MN

Augsburg * W, 9-1 (5); W, 2-0

SAINT MARY’S * UP NEXT:

May 4, 2023 * Minneapolis, MN

Augsburg * 1 p.m./3 p.m.

BETHEL * UP NEXT: 

April 6, 2023 * Northfield, MN

Carleton * 1 p.m./3 p.m.

SAINT MARY’S CARDINALS SCOUTING REPORT:

• FOR THE RECORD: Saint Mary’s heads into its conference doubleheader against Bethel sitting at 18-14 overall, including 10-6 through its first 16 MIAC contests.

• LAST TIME OUT: The Cardinals extended their winning streak to three straight in impressive fashion Tuesday afternoon, banging out eight extra-base hits rolling to a pair of road wins over Concordia. SMU dropped the Cobbers 7-4 in the opener and added a 6-2 win in the nightcap in Moorhead, Minn.

• HOW SWEEP IT IS: Saint Mary’s has picked up sweeps in four of its last five doubleheaders. SMU swept past UW-River Falls 5-4 and 5-3 on April 13 and dispatched of St. Scholastica by identical 8-0 counts the following afternoon, before cruising past Macalester 9-6 and 5-2 on April 16. After settling for a split against Gustavus on April 23, Saint Mary’s recorded sweep No. 4 with its 7-4 and 6-2 wins over Concordia on Tuesday.

• AT THE PLATE: As a team, Saint Mary’s enters its DH against Bethel hitting .315 through 32 games, and boasts five regulars who are hitting above .300. … Ali French (Winona, Minn.) leads the way with a .405 batting average, followed by Peyton Berg (Chatfield, Minn. / .400), Heather Nordlund (Byron, Minn. / .382), Riley Hall (Dallas Center, Iowa / .330), and Abbie Stigler (Menomonie, Wis. / .322).

• RUNNING WILD: Saint Mary’s has plated 174 runs through 32 games this season. … Hall has scored a team-leading 36 runs, while Stigler (22), Ciero (17), Naleya Bork (Fond du Lac, Wis. / 17), French (11), and Cassie Sutor (Chicago, Ill. / 11) have also reached double digits in runs scored. … SMU has had a player score three runs in a game three times this season.

• HIT PARADE: The Cardinals have seven players who have reached 20 hits this season — Nordlund (34), Berg (32), Hall (30), Stigler (29), Ciero (29), Bork (27), and French (26). … Nordlund leads the team with 10 multiple-hit games, one more than Ciero and Berg. … SMU has gotten a multiple-hit game from 13 different players. … French owns both of the team’s four-hit performances — going 4-for-4 against both Crown on Feb. 18 and vs. Gustavus last Sunday.

• EXTRA, EXTRA: Eighty-one of the Cardinals’ 274 hits through 32 games have been for extra bases — including 63 doubles, two triples and 14 home runs. … Bork (10), Berg (8), Hall (7), Stigler (7), and French (7) lead the team in doubles, while Hall and Stigler own SMU’s two triples. … SMU belted six doubles among its eight Game 1 hits against Carleton on April 7.

• GOING YARD: After delivering just five home runs a year ago, Saint Mary’s has already launched 14 round-trippers this season. Bork and Hall lead the team with three HRs, Stigler (2), Berg (2), Nordlund, Cassie Sutor (Chicago, Ill.), French, and Jada Allen (Stevens Point, Wis.) owning the other eight. … The home runs by Berg, Bork, Nordlund, Stigler, Hall, Allen, and French were all collegiate firsts.

• DRIVING ‘EM IN: Nordlund, Bork, Berg, Ciero, Stigler, and French have all reached double figures in RBIs through 32 games. Nordlund leads the way with 22 RBIs, two more than Bork and Berg, with Ciero (15), Stigler (14), and French (12) also owning 10+ RBIs. … Nordlund has amassed a team-leading six multiple-RBI games, with Bork and Berg owning five, and Ciero sitting with four.

• STREAKING: Nordlund heads into SMU’s DH against Bethel owning the team’s longest active hitting streak at eight. … Hall has reached base safely in 19 straight games, while Berg has been on base in 17 consecutive games.

• CAN’T CATCH ME: Saint Mary’s has posted 77 stolen bases in 97 attempts this season – led by Hall (19-for-19), Stigler (14-17, and Ciero (13-for-16). … SMU has gotten at least one stolen base from 16 different players.

• OUCH: Hall has been hit by a pitch 16 times this season — putting her tied for third among NCAA Division III players. … 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, led by Sarah Kraus (Onalaska, Wis. / 7-7, 3.56 ERA) and Bork (6-6, 3.14 ERA), who have logged 96 2/3 and 78.0 innings, respectively. … Sutor (2-0, 2.56 ERA, 13 2/3 IP), Izzy Griffin (West St. Paul, Minn. / 1-1, 4.08 ERA, 12.0 IP), and Amy Gappa (Trempealeau, Wis. / 1-0, 2.25 ERA, 9 1/3 IP) have also seen time in the circle. … Kraus has tossed a team-high 10 complete games, three more than Bork, while also leading the team with 19 pitching appearances.

• REPEAT PERFORMANCES: Kraus recorded back-to-back, complete-game shutouts in SMU’s sweep of St. Scholastica on April 14, allowing four hits in the opener and three hits in the nightcap.

•  PITCHING FIRSTS: ?Griffin picked up her first collegiate win, and her first collegiate shutout — in her first collegiate start — in a 2-0 victory over Carleton on April 8. ... Bork recorded her first pitching win as a Cardinal against Bethany Lutheran on 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 114 batters through 32 games, led by Kraus (49) and Bork (45). … 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.

• MIAC WEEKLY HONORS: Nordlund 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 opponents 174-133 — including each of the game’s first six innings … 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 9-3 in games decided by five or more runs, but are 4-6 in one- or two-run games. … The Cardinals have held their opponent to two runs or less in 11 of their 18 wins. On the flip side, SMU is 1-6 when failing to plate more than two runs. … SMU is 13-4 when leading or tied after five innings, while going 1-11) when trailing heading into the sixth frame. … Saint Mary’s used a season-high 21 players in Game 2 against St. Olaf on April 11, while 19 different Cardinals saw action in the opener against the Oles. … Saint Mary’s has scored four or more runs in an inning 10 times this season, including a season-high eight runs in the first inning of its 13-1 win over North Central on Feb. 19.

BETHEL SCOUTING REPORT:

• FOR THE RECORD: The Royals head into their conference twinbill against Saint Mary’s sitting at 27-3 overall, including a perfect 16-0 run through the first eight games of their MIAC slate.

• LAST TIME OUT: The Royals erupted for seven runs in the fourth inning in cruising to a 9-1, five-inning victory over Augsburg in the first game of the teams’ MIAC doubleheader at Ona Orth Athletic Complex in Arden Hills, Minn., while Ella Roberts tossed a five-hit shutout as Bethel completed the sweep with a 2-0 victory in the nightcap.

• DREAM SEASON: The Royals enjoyed a dream season in 2022, setting a school record for wins (37), while also claiming the MIAC regular-season and tournament titles. BU went 3-1 in the NCAA regional, beating Washington (Mo.) University twice to earn the school’s first-ever Super Regional berth, where the Royals fell to Berry (Ga.) 2-0 (9) and 3-1.

• STREAKING: The Royals enter their doubleheader against Saint Mary’s riding a 17-game winning streak. After opening the season with two wins, followed by two losses, BU rattled off eight consecutive wins, before suffering its third loss of the year, a 1-0 decision to Loras on March 17. Since then, BU has outscored its opponents 61-9 in going 17-0.

• IN THE POLLS: Thanks to its 19-3 overall record and seven-game winning streak, the Royals climbed three spaces in the NFCA Top 25 and is currently sitting at No. 8. BU has held down a spot in the NFCA Top 25 in all seven polls this season, with their current ranking at No. 8 its highest yet.

• AT THE PLATE: Bethel, which is hitting .317 as a team, sports seven players who are hitting above. 300, led by Autumn Earney, who has gone 33-for-89 en route to a team-best .371 average. Lexi DeBace (.364), Allie Fauth-Kilgore (.353), Sidney Bartels (.356), Kayla Hokanson (.337), Mikaela Girard (.330), and Jordyn Rudolph (.311) are also hitting above .300 through 30 games.

• ON THE RUN: Fauth-Kilgore and DeBace have each scored a team-leading 30 runs, Hokanson (17), Girard (15), Earney (14), Hokanson (113), and Bartels (11) have all crossed home plate more than 10 times this season. … DeBace scored a season-high five runs against the University of Dubuque on Feb. 18 … As a team, BU has scored 117 runs in 22 games.

• HIT PARADE: Bethel boasts five players who have racked up 30 or more hits this season. … Fauth-Kilgore leads the Royals with 37 hits, followed by DeBace (36),Earney (33), Hokanson (31), and Girard (30). … Fauth-Kilgore has amassed a team-leading 13 multiple-hit games, three more than Earney. … Girard recorded a season-high five-hit game against Washington College on March 13.

• EXTRA, EXTRA: Sixty-seven of Bethel’s 263 hits have been for extra bases, including 52 doubles, five triples, and 10 home runs. … Izzy Wilhelm leads the team in doubles with 13, three in front of both Fauth-Kilgore and Hokanson, while Fauth-Kilgore (3), Earney, and DeBace own BU’s five triples.

• BOMBS AWAY: Bethel’s 10 home runs this season have come from seven different players. Hokanson, Rudolph, and Courtney Hokanson share the team lead with two home runs each, with Fauth-Kilgore, Girard, Bartels, and Maddi O’Connor accounting for the other four.

• DRIVING ‘EM IN: The Royals have eight players who have posted 10+ RBIs, led by Kayla Hokanson with 22. Girard (20), DeBace (19), Fauth-Kilgore (17), Wilhelm (16), Rudolph (14), Earney (13), and Bartels (10) have also reached double-digits in RBIs. … Girard owns a team-leading five multiple-RBI games, while Fauth-Kilgore, Wilhelm, and Kayla Hokanson have all delivered four multiple-RBI contests. … Hokanson recorded a single-game season-high five RBIs against the University of Dubuque on Feb. 18.

• STREAKING ALONG: Wilhelm put together the Royals’ longest hitting streak this season at 10 games, but Rudolph’s four-game run is the team’s longest active hit streak. … Wilhelm has reached base safely in 12 consecutive games.

• IN THE CIRCLE: Kayla Simacek has been the workhorse of the Royal pitching staff, throwing all but 20 1/3 of the team’s 202.0 innings, compiling a 25-3 record and 1.11 ERA. Simacek — who set a single-season school record for strikeouts with 349 a year ago — leads all of NCAA Division III with 276 strikeouts this season. … Simacek has recorded 21 complete games among her 29 starts, owns eight shutouts, and has held opponents to a microscopic .172 batting average.

• CRUNCHING THE NUMBERS: Bethel has outscored its opponents by a whopping 178-41, and have scored 10 or more runs five times this season — plating 12 and 10 runs in sweeping Macalester (12-1, 10-0), 13 runs in beating both Saint Benedict (13-1) and Kenyon (13-1), while scoring a season-high 16 runs in routing U. of Dubuque 16-5 on Feb. 18. … Bethel has been held to one run or less in all three of its losses, falling to Luther 3-1, while being blanked by UW-Eau Claire (3-0) and Loras (1-0). … Along with their 16 runs, the Royals also recorded season-highs in at-bats (36), RBIs (14), doubles (6), and home runs (2) against the University of Dubuque on Feb. 18. … BU has played two extra-inning games this season — winning both 1-0. The Royals defeated Gustavus 1-0 on April 8 and St. Catherine 1-0 on Tuesday.