WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University fastpitch softball team entered its Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference doubleheader against Gustavus riding a five-game winning streak, and sporting an unblemished 4-0 conference record.
 
The winning streak climbed to six and the MIAC record improved to 5-0 thanks to a 2-1 win over the Gusties in the opener of their two-game set.
 
The winning streak and spotless conference mark came to a screeching halt, as Gustavus scored the game's only run in the top of the sixth inning in dealing Saint Mary's a 1-0 setback to earn a split in the twinbill at the Saint Mary's Field.
 
GAME 1: SAINT MARY'S 2, GUSTAVUS 1
The Cardinals came out swinging in the opener, scoring all the runs their would need in their very first at-bat.
 
Makayla Steffes (Winona, Minn.) kicked things off with a lead-off, infield single, moved to second on a Megan McGinnis (Appleton, Wis.) sacrifice bunt, and scored on an RBI single to left-center by Ali French (Winona, Minn.). Peyton Berg (Chatfield, Minn.) followed with a run-scoring doubles — and Steffes took the pitcher's circle in the top of the second owning a two-run advantage.
 
After tossing three no-hit innings, Steffes surrendered her first hit of the game in th3 fourth, and did not give up her second until the sixth, when GAC cut the SMU lead in half, tagging the freshman for two hits — including an RBI single by Madi Mueller — to make it a one-run, 2-1 Saint Mary's lead.
 
Gustavus put the game-tying run on second with a one-out double by Carly Olson but Steffes induced back-to-back fly-ball outs to center to seal the win.
 
 Naleya Bork (De Pere, Wis.) finished 2-for-3, while Steffes, French, Berg, and Heather Nordlund (Byron, Minn.) accounted for SMU's other four hits. Steffes picked up her ninth win in 10 decisions in the circle, scattering four hits and allowing just the lone sixth-inning run, while striking out five and not walking a batter.
 
GAME 2: GUSTAVUS 1, SAINT MARY'S 0
Steffes returned to the pitcher's circle in the nightcap and embroiled in a seven-inning pitcher's duel against fellow Winonan Ava Hamsund.
 
The two pitchers each threw up five scoreless innings, before the Gusties broke through with the game's only run in the top of the sixth on a two-out, run-scoring single by Olson.
 
And while the Gusties tagged Steffes for a single run, Saint Mary's was unable to push a run across against Hamsund in getting shut out for the first time this season.
 
McGinnis accounted for three of the Cardinals' eight Game 1 hits, going 3-for-4, with Steffes, Nordlund, Bork, Breonna Methner (Woodbury, Minn.), and Emily Bonk (Hudson, Wis.) all adding solo hits. Steffes was saddled with the pitching loss, despite limiting Gustavus to one run on seven hits — all singles.
 
The Cardinals (5-1 MIAC, 17-3 overall) are right back in action on Wednesday, when they head to La Crosse, Wis., for a 2:30 p.m. nonconference doubleheader against UW-La Crosse.
  Read Full Article