WINONA, Minn. — Just when it looked like the Saint Mary's University fastpitch softball team had turned the corner, the Cardinals' offense made a wrong turn Monday afternoon in its nonconference doubleheader against UW-River Falls.

After scoring 23 runs in their last three games — all victories — the Cardinals managed just one run against the Falcons.

Fortunately for the Cardinals, one run was enough for SMU to salvage a split as Hanni Lohmann (Lake Elmo, Minn.) pitched a complete-game seven-hitter and Jenny Schipp (North St. Paul, Minn.) delivered a two-out third-inning single, giving the Cardinals a 1-0 Game 2 victory.

In the opener, UW-River Falls ended Schipp's scoreless inning streak at 23 innings, scoring all three of its runs in the sixth inning en route to a 3-0 victory.

“We just weren’t able to string a lot of hits together (against River Falls),” said SMU coach Nikki Fennern, whose team has won four of its last five games — all by shutout — but has scored just five runs in its last four losses. “We’re getting plenty of hits, they are just too scattered. Fortunately, Hanni did a great job (on the mound) in the second game, allowing us to get the win with just one run.”

Schipp and UW-River Falls pitcher Leah Vanderploeg traded punches for the first five innings of the opener, with Schipp holding the Falcons to just four singles, while Vanderploeg match her single-for-single, and the two teams headed into the sixth tied 0-0.

SMU threatened in the top of the sixth, loading the bases with one out, but Vanderploeg got Regan Cahanes (Woodbury, Minn.) to foul out to third and Amy Langer (Savage, Minn.) to ground out to second to end the threat.

Back-to-back errors put runners on second and third with no one out for the Falcons in the bottom of the sixth. An RBI single by Emily Rodgers scored one run and Emily Evans followed with a two-run home run to give UW-River Falls all the runs it would need.

Speaking of all the runs they would need, Lohmann made sure one run was all the Cardinals would need to earn a split, as the senior right-hander scattered seven hits and allowed just two runners past second base.

SMU got its lone run in the third as Langer singled, moved to second on a sacrifice by Lohmann, and scored on Schipp's two-out single to left.

“If we are going to be successful, we need to get a little more consistent offensively,” said Fennern, whose team returns to MIAC play this afternoon, taking on Gustavus, which enters today’s doubleheader having won eight straight — including wins in its first six conference games. “We’re going to have to be on the top of our game, offensively, defensively and on the mound (against Gustavus).”