WINONA, Minn. – The St. Olaf College softball team scored first in both games but fell by scores of 2-1 and 11-3 (five innings) to fourth-ranked Saint Mary's University in a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) doubleheader on Thursday afternoon at SMU Softball Field.

St. Olaf (11-14, 4-5 MIAC) scored in the top of the first and held the 1-0 lead until Saint Mary's (26-2, 12-0 MIAC) scratched across runs in the fifth and sixth innings to take the opener. The Oles again put a run on the board in the first in game two, but the Cardinals scored in all five innings in the run-rule victory to complete the sweep.

Next up for St. Olaf is a doubleheader at Carleton College on Saturday, April 18 starting at 1 p.m.

No. 4 Saint Mary's 2, St. Olaf 1 | Box Score

All-American Makayla Steffes outdueled senior Roxanne Ring in game one, as Saint Mary's scored single runs in the fifth and sixth innings to edge St. Olaf by a run. Ring tossed her ninth complete game of the season, limiting a team averaging over seven runs per game on the season to two runs on six hits with four walks and one strikeout over 6.0 innings.

Steffes improved to 14-1 on the season by holding the Oles to one run on three hits with two walks and three strikeouts over the first 6.0 innings before Kenzie Gatz closed it out for the Cardinals. Offensively, Saint Mary's stole six bases in the game, with both of its runs coming as a result of swiped bags.

First year Hannah Yaeger recorded two of St. Olaf's four hits and knocked in its lone run in the loss. Junior Regan Zak extended her hitting streak to eight games, while senior Abby Nevin picked up the Oles' other hit.

St. Olaf got on the board just three batters into the game when Yaeger doubled to center to score Zak, who led off with a single and stole second with one out. Saint Mary's started the bottom of the second with a double and stolen base, but Ring prevented the run from scoring by retiring the next three hitters without the runner moving.

Ring kept the Oles in front after three by working out of a bases-loaded, two-out jam with a line drive to senior Elle Brandt at shortstop. The Cardinals proceeded to tie the game in the bottom of the fifth with a two-out rally. An infield hit followed by a stolen base and single by Steffes tied the game at 1-1, although Ring left two runners stranded to get out of the inning.

Saint Mary's broke the tie with a run in the bottom of the sixth on an infield single, a stolen base, a sacrifice bunt, and another infield hit. Nevin led off the top of the seventh with a single to put the tying run on base for St. Olaf, but a strikeout and a double-play grounder ended the game.

No. 4 Saint Mary's 11, St. Olaf 3 (5 inn.) | Box Score

After St. Olaf opened the scoring, Saint Mary's scored seven consecutive runs to build a 7-1 lead and went on to end the game early with four runs in the fifth after the Oles got within four at 7-3.

Junior Rylan Nakamura was the lone Ole with multiple hits in game two, going 2-for-2 with a run scored. Zak, first year Joy Jung, junior Eva Hokanson, and senior Madyn Singleton recorded the other hits for St. Olaf.

Zak and Jung started the game with back-to-back singles before Zak got to third on a fly out off the bat of Yaeger. Hokanson followed with a single to right to score Zak. Saint Mary's took advantage of three walks, a hit batter, and a wild pitch to score four runs on two hits in the bottom of the first to take a 4-1 lead.

The Cardinals stretched their lead to 7-1 with single runs in the second, third, and fourth before the Oles closed the gap to 7-3 with two runs in the top of the fifth. Singleton and Nakamura opened the inning with consecutive singles before a throwing error in Zak's at-bat brought in the first run of the inning. Two batters later, Yaeger knocked in a run with a sacrifice fly.

Saint Mary's completed the run-rule victory with four runs on five hits in the home half of the fifth.