NORTHFIELD, Minn. - Following a demanding eight-game week, the No. 22 Saint Mary's Softball team (27-3), who is a perfect 12-0 in conference,embraced the challenge and delivered a perfect 8-0 performance, wrapping up the stretch with a road sweep of St. Olaf (13-13), winning 7-1 and 7-3.

GAME ONE 

Makayla Steffes led the Cardinals with a strong pitching performance, completing the game with a full seven innings pitched, allowing just one earned run on four hits and recording four strikeouts. 

Brianna Nusbaum was a key player on offense, scoring two runs and setting a career high stealing four bases, showcasing her speed on the sand. 

Saint Mary's got on the board in the second inning. After Heather Nordlund singled, pinch runner Nusbaum came in and made an impact right away with some aggressive baserunning—stealing both second and third. A miscue by St. Olaf's second baseman then let her come home, putting Saint Mary's up 1–0.

Saint Mary's broke things open in the fourth. Nusbaum stole second and third, Naleyah Bork walked, and Allison Ciero laid down an RBI bunt single. Alexandra Gerber and Abbie Stigler added RBI singles, and Amanda Teschky's groundout pushed the lead to 5–0.

In the sixth inning, Saint Mary's continued to apply pressure increasing the lead to 7–0.

St. Olaf managed to score their lone run in the seventh inning with a solo home run but Saint Mary's finished with 12 hits and committed no errors, holding St. Olaf to four hits.

GAME TWO

Megan McGinnis made a significant impact for Saint Mary's with two hits, one run scored, and one RBI in her four at-bats. She also contributed defensively with four assists, leading the team in this category.

Naleya Bork delivered a complete game performance on the mound, going seven innings with a season best six strikeouts and allowing three earned runs. 

After a slow start, Saint Mary's opened the scoring in the fourth inning when Bork singled through the left side to bring home Karli Zetah, who had advanced to third on a passed ball. 

This gave the Cardinals a 1–0 lead.

The fifth inning saw a significant offensive surge for the Cardinals. Stigler's big triple set the stage and scored on Zoe Fink's sacrifice bunt. Peyton Berg's homer brought home three more runs, contributing to a five-run inning, putting the Cardinals ahead 6–0.

St. Olaf responded in the bottom of the fifth with a home run and two additional runs, narrowing the gap to 6–3.

But the Cardinals added an insurance run as Ciero scored on a groundout by Gerber, extending their lead to 7–3. 

St. Olaf was unable to mount a comeback in the final two innings, leaving the Cardinals to secure a 7–3 victory.

The Cardinals will enjoy a well-earned two-day break before returning to action on Wednesday, when they host Concordia for a doubleheader starting at 3:30 p.m.