MOORHEAD, Minn. — When the Saint Mary's University fastpitch softball team took the diamond on Sunday for its Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference doubleheader against Concordia, it marked the fifth and sixth road games in a four day stretch for the Cardinals.
 
Much to the chagrin of host Concordia, the Cardinals — coming off a sweep of Carleton and a split against Saint Benedict — had just enough left in the tank to sweep past the Cobbers
 
Saint Mary's managed just two runs in the opening game of the twinbill, but with Makayla Steffes (Winona, Minn.) in the pitcher's circle, two runs was more than enough, as the freshman right-hander tossed a complete-game three-hitter — striking out a career-high 10 — in leading SMU to a 2-1 victory.
 
The Cardinals stepped up their offensive attack a bit in the nightcap, scoring five runs on 11 hits en route to a sweep-clinching 5-3 victory.
 
GAME 1: SAINT MARY'S 2, CONCORDIA 1
Saint Mary's wasted no time flexing its offensive muscle in the opener, banging out two hits — including an RBI single by Heather Nordlund (Byron, Minn.) — to plate a solo run in the top of the first inning.
 
Concordia threatened to pull even in the second, transforming its first hit of the game — a two-out single — and a Cardinal fielding error into a first-and-third situation, but Steffes worked out of the jam with her second strikeout of the inning.
 
The Cobbers didn't need to "threaten" to finally plate the equalizer. In fact, it only took one swing, as Jocelyn Maki opened the CC half of the fourth with a home run to pull Concordia even, 1-1.


The game did not stay tied for long, however, as Saint Mary's answered in the top of the fifth on an RBI single by Steffes to score Lizzie Pike (Rochester, Minn.), who led off the inning with a double and moved to third on a fly ball out by Breonna Methner (Woodbury, Minn.).
 
Steffes worked out of another jam in the bottom of the sixth, surrendering a lead-off single to Emily Bowman, before retiring the next three batters on infield pop outs to maintain SMU's 2-1 advantage.
 
And Steffes made sure that one-run lead would stand up, setting down the Cobbers in order in the seventh — including strikeouts No. 9 and No. 10.
 
Megan McGinnis (Appleton, Wis.) went 3-for-4 and Nordlund finished 2-for-3 to lead the Cardinals' eight-hit attack, with Steffes, Berg, and Pike accounting for SMU's other three hits. Steffes was brilliant in the circle, allowing just the one run on three hits in recording her 12th pitching win of the season.
 
GAME 2: SAINT MARY'S 5, CONCORDIA 3
For the second game a row, the Cardinals made the most of their first at-bat, scoring twice in the top of the first inning for a quick 2-0 lead.
 
Steffes opened the SMU first with a single and moved to third on a McGinnis single down the right-field line. Naleya Bork (De Pere, Wis.) followed with a two-run double to left-center to score both Steffes and McGinnis before the Cobbers could even record an out.
 
Concordia cut the Cardinal lead in half on an RBI double by Bowman in the third, only to have SMU score twice in the top of the fifth — loading the bases with no outs, before getting an RBI groundout by Berg and a run-scoring double by Nordlund to extend the Saint Mary's lead to 4-1.
 
The Cobbers put runners on first and second with two out in the sixth, but SMU starter Kenzie Gatz (Oswego, Ill.) escaped without any damage, getting pinch hitter Reese Hauck to strike out swinging.
 
Saint Mary's padded its lead to four, scoring a much-needed solo run in the seventh. McGinnis ignited SMU's seventh, lacing a one-out double and advancing to third on an Allison Ciero (Glen Ellyn, Ill.) single.  Berg walked to load the bases, and Pike followed with an RBI single to center to pad the Cardinal lead to 5-1.
 
The Cobbers made things interesting in their final at-bat, getting a one-out, two-run home run off the bat of Kailee Falconer to whittle the SMU lead to two, 5-3 — and chase Gatz. Steffes came on to get the final two outs — sandwiching an infield pop out and a strikeout around a two-out single — for her fourth save.
 
Gatz helped her own cause at the plate, going 2-for-3. The freshman was one of four Cardinals with two Game 2 hits, being joined by McGinnis, Steffes, and Nordlund, while Ciero, Bork, ad Abbie Stigler (Menomonee Falls, Wis.) each had one hit. Gatz picked up the pitching win, allowing three runs on eight hits — walking one and striking out three — while Steffes earned her fourth save of the season.
 
The Cardinals (12-4 MIAC, 24-8 overall) are right back in action on Tuesday, heading to St. Paul, Minn., for an MIAC doubleheader against Macalester. First pitch is slated for 4:30 p.m.
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