ARDEN HILLS, Minn. — Bethel didn't seem to have any trouble getting the first two outs in its Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference doubleheader against the Saint Mary's University fastpitch softball team.
 
Getting that third out, however, was a different story.
 
The Cardinals erupted for seven runs against the nation's 10th-ranked team — all with two outs — as Saint Mary's opened its conference twinbill at Ona Orth Athletic Complex with a 7-4 victory Saturday afternoon.
 
Saint Mary's was at it again in Game 2, scoring two of its four runs with two outs to complete the sweep — and snap a season-high three-game losing streak — with a 4-1 victory.
 
GAME 1: SAINT MARY'S 7, BETHEL 4
With one swing of the bat, the Cardinals found themselves with a two-run advantage. Ali French (Winona, Minn.) clubbed a two-out double and Peyton Berg (Chatfield, Minn.) followed by lacing a two-out, two-run home run to give SMU a 2-0 lead.
 
Bethel cut the SMU lead in half on an RBI double by Olivia Weinberg in the bottom of the second, only to have the Cardinals respond with four runs in the fifth — once again coming through with two outs.
 
Abbie Stigler (Menomonee Falls, Wis.) kicked things off with a one-out double, and, after Makayla Steffes (Winona, Minn.) grounded to short for the second out of the frame, Megan McGinnis (Appleton, Wis.) and French delivered back-to-back RBI doubles, and Berg launched her second home run of the game to extend Saint Mary's lead to 6-1.
 
SMU was at it again in the sixth, plating their seventh run of the game, as Stigler delivered a two-out, run-scoring double to left to score pinch-runner Karli Zetah (Goodhue, Minn.) and give the Cardinals a commanding six-run cushion, 7-1.
 
Bethel took a page out of the Cardinals' playbook in the bottom of the sixth, scoring three times — all with two outs — to claw within three, 7-4, heading to the seventh. That, however, would be as close as the Royals would get.
 
Berg was one of four Cardinals with two hits against BU All-American pitcher Kayla Simacek, going 2-for-4 with two home runs and four RBIs. McGinnis, French, and Stigler also collected two hits. Steffes picked up the win in the pitcher's circle, allowing four runs on 12 hits, while walking two and striking out eight.
 
GAME 2: SAINT MARY'S 4, BETHEL 1
SMU picked up right where it left off to open Game 2, scoring solo runs in the first two innings to take an early 2-0 lead.
 
Steffes kicked things off with a game-opening double and McGinnis followed with an RBI single to center to account for the Cardinals' first-inning run, while Stigler ripped a two-out single to right-center in the second to extend SMU's lead to 2-0.
 
Naleya Bork (De Pere, Wis.) launched SMU's third home run of the day, a solo — two-out bomb to left in the fifth — and French banged out a single to left-center in the top of the seventh to give Saint Mary's a 4-0 advantage.
 
And four runs was more than enough with Bork in the pitcher's circle, as the sophomore twirled a five-hitter, allowing just a lone seventh-inning run, while strking out three. Steffes picked up the save, throwing just four pitches in inducing a game-ending fly-out to right.
 
Steffes led the SMU offense, going 3-for-4 with a pair of runs scored, with McGinnis, French, Bork, and Stigler all recording two hits.
 
The Cardinals (7-1 MIAC, 19-5 overall) are right back in action on Sunday, when they return home to the SMU Field for a 1 p.m. conference doubleheader against St. Olaf.
  Read Full Article