WINONA, Minn. – The St. Olaf College softball team got out to early leads in both games on its way to claiming its second-straight Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) sweep with 5-3 and 9-3 victories at Saint Mary's University on Tuesday at SMU Softball Field.

St. Olaf (10-14, 4-2 MIAC) scored three times in the first in game one and six times in the second in game to build early leads and held on the rest of the way in both games to down Saint Mary's (9-13, 3-5 MIAC) for its first road victories in conference play. The Oles have swept the Cardinals in each of the past four seasons, with the eight-straight wins marking St. Olaf's second-longest winning streak in the series between the two programs.

The Oles host Gustavus Adolphus College in their long-awaited home opener on Thursday, April 13 at 3:30 and 5:30 p.m. at Mabel Shirley Field.

St. Olaf 5, Saint Mary's 3 | Box Score

Junior Hannah Peschel had a two-run single in St. Olaf's three-run first inning, but Saint Mary's got two of the runs back in the bottom of the inning to quickly get back within a run. From there, the Oles held the Cardinals scoreless until the seventh and first year Roxanne Ring closed the door in the final half inning for her first collegiate save.

Fifth-year senior Tarah DeCroock, Peschel, and sophomore Amelia Christenson had two hits apiece to combine for six of St. Olaf's nine hits in the game. Junior Jenna Peschel earned the win after working the first 6.1 innings before Ring got the final two outs. Peschel allowed three runs on just five hits, working around seven walks and a pair of hit batters.

With two on and one out in the first, senior Andrea Conway doubled in the game's first run to get the Oles on the board just four batters in. Peschel followed with a two-run single up the middle to push the lead to 3-0.

After the Cardinals got two of the runs back in the next half inning, Jenna Peschel held the hosts scoreless until the seventh inning. St. Olaf added a run in the second on a one-out RBI single by DeCroock and another in the top of the seventh, as Peschel helped her cause by reaching on a run-scoring fielder's choice.

Trailing by three in the bottom of the seventh, Saint Mary's loaded the bases with one out to get the tying run on base and the go-ahead run to the plate. After relieving Peschel, Ring got a fly ball to center for a sacrifice fly and a ground out to second to close out the win.

St. Olaf 9, Saint Mary's 3 | Box Score

St. Olaf strung together seven-straight hits to score six runs in the second inning and get out to an early sizable lead. The Oles stretched their lead to 9-0 before the Cardinals avoided a run-rule loss by scoring single runs in the fourth and fifth innings.

Eight of St. Olaf's nine starting position players had at least one hit in the game, including five with multi-hit performances. Jenna Peschel was 3-for-4 with one run and two RBI, DeCroock was 2-for-5 with a double, two runs, and two RBI, and Hannah Peschel was 2-for-4 with a double and two runs scored. Sophomore Medora Rylee added two hits, a run, and an RBI, while senior Maya Patty was 2-for-4 with a walk, a double, a run, and an RBI.

First year Madyn Singleton benefitted from the early run support to pick up her second victory of the season after allowing three runs on six hits in 4.1 innings of work. Ring tossed the final 2.2 innings and yielded just one hit with no walks and one strikeout.

Eight of St. Olaf's first nine batters reached via hit, including seven-straight hits, in the six-run second inning. DeCroock's two-run double to right was the big hit of the inning, while Jenna Peschel, Christenson, and Conway all had run-scoring hits as well.

Rylee delivered a two-out RBI single in the third to extend the Oles' lead to 7-0 before St. Olaf tacked on two more runs in the fourth. After Hannah Peschel doubled with one out and moved to third on a wild pitch, Jenna Peschel singled her in and Patty followed with a run-scoring double to right to plate junior Anne Fossum.

The Cardinals scored the next three runs before Ring shut the hosts down by retiring seven of the eight batters she faced after entering the circle in the fifth.