GREENCASTLE, IND.. – All good things must come to an end, and that was the case Friday afternoon for the Saint Mary's University softball team. The Cardinals historic season concluded Friday, as #3 seed Saint Mary's fell to DePauw 16-8 in an elimination game of the Greencastle NCAA Regional. The Cardinals still had plenty to be proud of, concluding the season with a 32-11 record, their first 30+ win season since 2005.
Everything was rolling Saint Mary's way early in the game, as the Cardinals took a 2-0 lead on a two-out, RBI single from
Heather Nordlund (Byron, Minn.). That simply wasn't enough scoring for Saint Mary's, as the team scored yet again in the bottom of the fourth. With
Makayla Steffes (Winona, Minn.) holding the Tigers batters at bay, the Cardinals went on to extend their lead to 3-0, thanks to a clutch pinch hit by
Zoe Fink (Stevens Point, Wis.). The sophomore doubled to right center, scoring pinch runner
Gabrielle Grover (Mantorville, Minn.) from second to make it 3-0 Saint Mary's with three innings to play.
Unfortunately, things went south for the Cardinals in the top of the fifth, as DePauw scored three runs on three hits, tying the game at 3-3. Still, Saint Mary's had an opportunity to regain the lead in the bottom of the inning. Thanks to a lead off single by Steffes, the Tigers were forced to intentionally walk
Peyton Berg (Chatfield, Minn.), bringing a red-hot Nordlund to the plate. The designated player was unable to bring Steffes in from second, as DePauw got out of the inning with a groundout to shortstop.
With Saint Mary's held scoreless in the bottom of the fifth, the Tigers tacked on five runs in the top of the sixth, taking advantage of four hits and a Cardinal error to take an 8-3 lead. Saint Mary's, though, answered with a big inning of its own, kicked off by a leadoff single from
Ali French (Winona, Minn.). She would eventually score on an RBI single by
Lizzie Pike (Rochester, Minn.), jumpstarting a four-run inning for the Cardinals highlighted by RBI hits from
Abbie Stigler (Menomonie, Wis.), Steffes and Berg. However, a play at the plate ended the Saint Mary's rally, but the Cardinals were still in striking distance, entering the top of the seventh down by just one run.
Down 8-7, Saint Mary's needed to keep the DePauw bats at bay in the top of the seventh. The Tigers, though, had other plans, as they scored eight runs after an uncharacteristic inning by the Cardinals defense. Still, Saint Mary's showed life in the bottom of the seventh. Down 16-7, Nordlund opened the inning with a single, breathing life back in the Cardinals bench. When
Emily Bonk (Hudson, Wis.) scored on an error by the DePauw shortstop, it looked like maybe Saint Mary's could mount a comeback with the top of its order due at the plate. However, the Cardinals season came to an end on the very next batter, as Steffes flew out to left for the final out of the game.
Megan McGinnis (Appleton, Wis.), Nordlund, French and Pike all tallied multi-hit games, with French going 3-4 at the plate. Steffes took the loss, closing the season with a 17-5 record.
