Softball 4/17/02 -- St. Mary's 1-4, Augsburg 0-0

GAME 1 BOXSCORE
GAME 2 BOXSCORE

STORY FROM ST. MARY'S UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

WINONA, Minn. (4/17/02) -- Saint Mary's University fastpitch softball coach Nikki Fennern was hoping the Cardinals' offense would come to life Wednesday afternoon in the team's Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference doubleheader against Augsburg College at the SMU field.

It didn't.

But then, when you've got pitchers like Stacy O'Malley (Lake Elmo, Minn.), Jennifer Gonerka (St. Paul, Minn.) and Kari Smith (Lourdes, Iowa) throwing up goose eggs, you don't really need much offense.

The Cardinals managed just a single run in the opener, but O'Malley made that run stand up, tossing a complete-game shutout -- striking out 12 -- as SMU won Game 1 1-0. SMU gave Gonerka three first-inning runs and a solo run in the second and, with three stellar innings of relief from Smith, the duo helped the Cardinals notch their second straight shutout win, 4-0.

St. Mary's is now 16-6 overall and 7-1 in MIAC play, while Augsburg drops to 5-15-1 overall and 1-9 in MIAC play, extending its losing streak to seven straight games. Augsburg has been shut out in its last three games and in 23 straight innings.

O'Malley scattered seven hits in posting her team-leading seventh win of the season in the first game, and after escaping a second-inning jam -- in which Augsburg put runners on second and third with one out -- with a pair of strikeouts, the freshman hurler didn't allow another runner past second base.

SMU gave O'Malley all the run support she would need in the fourth against Augsburg starter Rachael Ekholm (Sr., Richfield, Minn.). Niki Lynch (Winona, Minn.) drew a one-out walk, stole second and moved to third when Amy Edge's grounder was mishandled by Auggie second baseman Jennie LaManna (Sr., South St. Paul, Minn.). One out later, Amy Langer (Savage, Minn.) delivered an RBI single to score Lynch.

Kristen Lideen (So., Champlin, Minn./Champlin Park HS) went 2-for-3 to lead Augsburg, while Melissa Lee (So., Cannon Falls, Minn./Randolph HS) had a double. Ekholm struck out two Cardinals in the first game.

The Cardinals left little doubt of the outcome in Game 2, getting an RBI double from Jackie Huegel (Alta Vista, Iowa) and RBI singles off the bats of Gina Rizzardi (Woodbury, Minn.) and Lynch. SMU made it 4-0 in the second as Lindsay Mamer (Mankato, Minn.) delivered a two-out single.

Gonerka went the first four innings, allowing just two hits, while walking one and striking out four. Smith pitched three innings of one-hit relief to earn the save. Ekholm struck out two in her second straight complete-game effort.

Lideen, Christine Matthews (Fr., Robbinsdale, Minn./Cooper HS) and Trisha Pederson (Fr., Proctor, Minn.) had Augsburg's hits in the second game.

Both teams return to action with MIAC doubleheaders on Saturday (4/20) at 1 p.m., Augsburg hosting Macalester and St. Mary's playing at Bethel. The Augsburg-Macalester game, at Edor Nelson Field, was moved up to 1 p.m. from its original start time of 6:30 p.m.


STORY FROM WINONA DAILY NEWS -- 4/18/02

SMU softball shuts out Augsburg
By Jim Kohner/Winona Daily News

The 2002 edition of the Saint Mary's University softball team might not hit the cover off the ball like the NCAA Division III national championship team of 2000 or the squad that took fourth in the national tournament a year ago.

As far as pitching and defense goes, though, the 2002 team stacks right up there.

Wednesday afternoon at the SMU field, three Saint Mary's pitchers held Augsburg College scoreless for 14 innings and the defense committed one harmless error as the Cardinals swept a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference doubleheader from the Auggies by scores of 1-0 and 4-0.

It seemed like every ball SMU (7-1 MIAC, 16-6 overall) hit hard in the doubleheader was right at an Augsburg fielder. But some of the not-so-hard-hit balls wound up being the crucial hits the Cardinals needed. In the second game, five of the eight Saint Mary's hits never left the infield.

"Part of softball is having some fortune on your side," said Cardinals coach Nikki Fennern, whose team entered the doubleheader with a .290 team batting average. "Sometimes they fall for you and sometimes they don't. If it's hit hard at people, we know eventually it will sneak through or find a gap.

"We'd like to see more offensive production throughout the game. We attacked early and scored early. We'd like to attack more often. Once we do that, and continue to get good pitching and play good defense, we'll do well."

Freshman Stacy O'Malley scattered seven hits, did not walk a batter and struck out 12 batters in the opener to run her record to 7-3. In the second game, junior Jennifer Gonerka, who's been hampered by a shoulder injury, and senior Kari Smith combined on a three-hitter. They struck out seven batters and issued just one walk.

"We don't have a No. 1 pitcher right now, and that's fine," Fennern said. "Our pitching effort is going to be a team effort. We go with who's warming up best, who the competition is and who we think is most effective. The scary thing is we have two more that can pitch for us. We're excited about our pitching staff."

The Cardinals scored their only run off Augsburg pitcher Rachael Ekholm in the fourth inning, and it was unearned. With Niki Lynch on second after a walk and a stolen base, Amy Edge hit a grounder that was booted by second baseman Jennie LaManna. After Hanni Lohmann popped out, Amy Langer got an infield single to score Lynch.

Ekholm allowed only six hits, including two by Jackie Huegel and a lead-off single by Jennifer Miller, who extended her hitting streak to 10 games. That streak was halted in Game 2.

Ekholm pitched the entire second game for Augsburg (1-9, 5-15-1) as well, scattering eight hits. Five of those hits, include four of the infield variety, came in SMU's three-run first inning.

With one out, Ann Munzenmaier bunted for a single and Lindsay Mamer followed with an infield single. Huegel, who entered the game batting .473, then laced a double to left-center to drive in the first run. Mamer scored on an infield single by Gina Rizzardi, and Huegel tallied the last run of the inning on a bunt single by Lynch.

Mamer's infield single in the second inning drove in Hanni Lohmann.

Gonerka hurled the first four innings for the win, allowing two hits while striking out three. Smith gave up one hit and struck out three batters in the final three innings.

"This keeps us in second place in the conference," Fennern said. "Our conference is a very tough conference this year. I don't think anyone will go undefeated and I don't think anyone will go through with one loss. It will be an interesting race."

SMU plays at Bethel on Saturday and at St. Benedict on Sunday.