WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University fastpitch softball team didn't have much time to savor its clutch, Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference sweep of 10th-ranked Bethel.
 
After all, less than 24 hours after leaving Ona Orth Athletic Complex in Arden Hills, Minn., with 7-4 and 4-1 victories over the nationally ranked Royals, the Cardinals were back on the diamond Sunday afternoon.
 
Unfortunately, there would be no offensive fireworks from the Cardinals' bats against the Oles, as SMU scored just three runs in 14 innings in falling twice the St. Olaf, 5-2 and 5-1, at the SMU Field.
 
GAME 1: ST. OLAF 5, SAINT MARY'S 2
St. Olaf — coming off a 2-1, 4-0 sweep of St. Scholastica on Saturday — struck first in the opener, tagging SMU starter Makayla Steffes (Winona, Minn.) for a run on two hits for a quick 1-0 lead.
 
The Oles would add another solo run in the third on a sacrifice fly by Hannah Peschel, before Saint Mary's kicked its offense into gear in the bottom of the fourth, scoring a pair of unearned runs to knot the game at 2-2.
 
Peyton Berg (Chatfield, Minn.) delivered a one-out single to start SMU's fourth-inning rally and pinch-runner Grace Olmstead (Beloit, Wis.) came all the way around to score on a St. Olaf throwing error on a grounder by Naleya Bork (De Pere, Wis.). Bork scored the Cardinals' second run on a fielder's choice by Heather Nordlund (Byron, Minn.) — and the team's headed to the fifth deadlocked at 2-2.
 
The game did not remain tied for long, however, as St. Olaf loaded the bases with no outs in the fifth, and scratched across a single run on their second RBI sacrifice fly of the afternoon — before parlaying four hits into a pair of runs in the top of the seventh grab a 5-2 lead.
 
St. Olaf starter Jenna Peschel wrapped up her complete-game victory, setting SMU down in order to seal the Ole win.
 
Berg led the Cardinals' offense, going 2-for-3 with a double, while Steffes, Ali French (Winona, Minn.), and Emily Bonk (Hudson, Wis.) each adding singles.
 
GAME 2: ST. OLAF 5, SAINT MARY'S 1
For the second game in a row, St. Olaf struck first in the nightcap, getting a two-out single through the left side by Amelia Christenson to give the Oles a 1-0 third-inning lead.
 
Saint Mary's answered St. Olaf's one-run third with a single run in the fourth — thanks to a lead-off single by Berg and a one-out, RBI groundout by Nordlund — to knot the game at 1-1.
 
The seventh inning once again proved to be the Cardinals' Achilles heel, as St. Olaf erupted for four runs — including a three-run, bases clearing two-out double Hannah Peschel — to take a 5-1 advantage.
 
Saint Mary's threatened in the bottom of the seventh, putting runners on the corners with one out — thanks to a walk to Nordlund and a single by Abbie Stigler (Menomonee Falls, Wis.) — but St. Olaf pitcher Madyn Singleton induced a game-ending 6-3 double play to secure their second straight win over SMU.
 
Berg, Bonk, Stigler, and Megan McGinnis (Appleton, Wis.) all collected hits — all four singles — to account for SMU's four Game 2 hits.
 
Saint Mary's (7-3 MIAC, 19-7 overall) hits the road for a pair of conference doubleheaders on Tuesday and Wednesday. The Cardinals will head to Northfield, Minn., for a 3:30 p.m. twinbill against Carleton, before trekking to Moorhead, Minn., the following after for a pair of games against Concordia, also slated for a 3:30 p.m. start.  
  Read Full Article