WINONA, Minn. – It was an emotional and action-packed Friday at the NCAA Softball Regionals for the No. 11 Saint Mary's softball team (38-7), as the Cardinals battled through two high-stakes games with their season hanging in the balance. After dropping a tough opener to No. 2 seed Calvin, Saint Mary's responded in dominant fashion with a shutout victory over No. 3 seed Bethany Lutheran to punch their ticket back to Championship Saturday.
GAME ONE
Calvin 8, Saint Mary's 6
Despite the early morning heat, the Cardinals came out swinging in Friday's opener against Calvin. The Knights struck first with a two-run homer in the bottom of the first inning, but Saint Mary's answered in a huge way during the second.
The Cardinals erupted for six runs on seven hits in the inning to take a 6-3 advantage. After five straight singles opened the frame, Makayla Steffes delivered a two-run RBI single to score Amanda Teschky and Abbie Stigler. Megan McGinnis followed with a two-run double that plated Karli Zetah and Steffes, while Ariel Herrera later added another run as the Cardinals capitalized on a Calvin error.
Calvin slowly chipped away from there, however, adding two runs in the fourth inning before taking control with a three-run fifth to reclaim the lead at 8-6.
Saint Mary's forced four Calvin errors in the first two innings, but the Knights settled in defensively and held off the Cardinals the rest of the way, handing Saint Mary's its first home loss of the season.
"We ran out of time to make the comeback," said Alexandra Gerber. "It's a game of inches."
With the loss, the Cardinals found themselves facing elimination in the double-elimination regional.
GAME TWO
Saint Mary's 9, Bethany Lutheran 0
Saint Mary's quickly regrouped in the nightcap, delivering a complete performance to keep its season alive with a decisive win over Bethany Lutheran.
The matchup marked the second meeting between the two teams this season after the Cardinals earned a 4-0 win earlier this year at the Mankato Dome. This time, however, much more was on the line.
The game remained scoreless through four innings before Saint Mary's finally broke through in the fifth. Naleyah Bork singled before Amanda Teschky entered as a pinch runner and aggressively moved into scoring position, stealing second and advancing to third on a sacrifice bunt. Pinch hitter Zoe Fink then executed a perfectly placed bunt to bring home the game's first run.
The Cardinals blew things open in the sixth inning. Gerber continued her standout day with a leadoff single before stealing second and advancing to third on an error. McGinnis drove her home to spark a five-run inning as Saint Mary's piled up six hits in the frame to take command.
Saint Mary's added three more runs in the seventh to cap the 9-0 victory and secure its spot in Championship Saturday once again.
"It was nice to see some of their pitches already," said Peyton Berg, as she reflects on how tomorrow's matchup will be different. "We just need to come in with the same mentality of attacking right away, sometimes the pitch works one day and sometimes it doesn't."
With the win, the Cardinals advance to a rematch against Calvin in another win-or-go-home showdown Saturday morning at the SMU Softball Field. First pitch is scheduled for 11:00Â a.m.
