WINONA, Minn. -- The Augsburg University softball team suffered a hard-luck 4-1 loss to Saint Mary's University in the first game of a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference doubleheader on Wednesday, but rebounded with a 7-5 victory in the nightcap.

THE BASICS
SCORES: Saint Mary's 4, Augsburg 1; Augsburg 7, Saint Mary's 5
LOCATION: Edor Nelson Field, Minneapolis
RECORD: Augsburg 15-21 overall (7-13 MIAC), Saint Mary's 8-24 overall (4-14 MIAC)

GAME 1 HIGHLIGHTS
• Augsburg took a 1-0 lead in the third inning, as Jacquline Nichols (SR, Royalton, Minn./Royalton HS) drove in Kayla Hanson (FY, Trimont, Minn./St. James HS) on a two-out single. 
• But Saint Mary's took the lead with a four-run fifth inning, sending eight batters to the plate and taking advantage of two hits, including an RBI double, and two errors. Two of the four runs in the inning were unearned against Auggie pitcher Sam Anderson (SR, Coon Rapids, Minn./Coon Rapids HS).
• Anderson struck out seven against four walks and two hits in a complete-game pitching performance. 
• Anesia King (JR, Isanti, Minn./Cambridge-Isanti HS) and Nell Gehrke (SR, Northfield, Minn./Northfield HS) had two hits each for the Auggies in the first game.

GAME 2 HIGHLIGHTS
• Augsburg scored the first seven runs of the game over the first five innings, but Saint Mary's rallied with three runs in the fifth and two runs in the seventh, but a strikeout ended the game.
• A two-run double by Hollywood Hermanson (JR, Dover, Minn./Dover-Eyota HS) in the first inning opened the scoring, and the Auggies added three more runs in the fourth, as Gehrke drove in a run on a fielder's choice and King stroked a two-run double.
• Hermanson hit her second double of the game to drive in a run in the fifth, followed by an RBI fielder's choice by Mackenzie Evenson (JR, St. Louis Park, Minn./St. Louis Park HS), giving the Auggies a 7-0 lead.
• Pitcher Elly Strunk (SO, Blooming Prairie, Minn./Blooming Prairie HS) threw the first 5.1 innings for the Auggies to pick up her sixth win of the season. Anderson struck out three against two walks in the final 1.2 innings to claim the save.
• Nichols went 3-for-4 at the plate with two runs scored, while Hermanson went 2-for-4 with three RBI. Anderson went 2-for-4 with two runs scored.

FOR THE FOES
• Tara Nikolich went 3-for-6 in the doubleheader with a double, triple, run scored and three RBI. Hallie Schmeling went 2-for-4 with a double, two runs scored and an RBI.
• Amber Chow picked up the pitching win in the first game for the Cardinals, striking out six against four walks.

UP NEXT
• Augsburg travels to face Crown in a nonconference doubleheader on Thursday (4/25) at 3:30 p.m.
• Saint Mary's hosts Wisconsin-Eau Claire in a nonconference doubleheader on Thursday at 3 p.m.