ORANGE, Calif. — When Nikki Fennern stepped off the plane in Los Angeles, Calif., Thursday morning, she was a 28-year-old, third-year head coach of the Saint Mary's University fastpitch softball team.

Forty-eight hours later, Fennern must feel like she's aged at least 10 years.

After needing a single run in the bottom of the seventh inning to beat Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute 8-7 and a three-run fifth inning to break open a one-run game in a 5-0 decision over St. Rose in their first two games of their sprint trip Thursday, the Cardinals found themselves involved in two more nailbiters on Friday.

The Cardinals scored a pair of first-inning runs and held off Bethany 3-1 in their first game, then suffered their first loss of the season, giving up a run in the bottom of the eighth inning in falling to Menlo College 3-2.

"With a young team like we have, we are going to be in a lot of dogfights this season — but I didn't think we would be in this many, this soon," said Fennern. "We've put this team into every possible situation in practice, but when you get into a game, every situation is a new experience."

Speaking of new experiences, the Cardinals not only participated in their first extra-inning game of the year against Menlo, but it was also one determined by international rules, in which both teams start with a runner on second base.

As the visitor, SMU led off the eighth with Jennifer Gonerka (St. Paul, Minn.) on second. Jenny Schipp (North St. Paul, Minn.) sacrificed her to third and Krista Conway (Mendota Heights, Minn.) grounded out to the pitcher. Unfortunately, before Jen Gutterman (Shoreview, Minn.) could get to the plate, Gonerka was ruled out at third on an obscure rule that states that, once the ball is in the pitcher's circle, a runner must immediately return to the base.

Apparently, Gonerka didn't move fast back fast enough.

Menlo took advantage, scoring in the bottom of the inning on a one-out single by Jessica Courson.

"It's a tough way to lose, no question about that," admitted Fennern, whose team fell to 3-1 overall with the split. "It's one of those judgment calls, and, unfortunately, we ended up on the wrong end of the call.

"Obviously, we felt we should be 4-0 right now, but to be 3-1 isn't all bad," continued Fennern, who saw senior Niki Lynch (Winona, Minn.) go 3-for-3 with a pair of doubles in the Cardinals' 3-1 win over Bethany. "When we hit the ball, we hit it hard. But we have yet to do it for an entire game. We've had strong innings in all four of the games we've played so far — but we haven't been able to keep it up."