Cardinal pitchers shut down Gustavus
as SMU wins battle of MIAC leaders

WINONA, Minn. — Jill Hocking (Apple Valley, Minn.) and Jennifer Gonerka (St. Paul, Minn.) combined on a two-hit shutout as the Saint Mary's University fastpitch softball team defeated Gustavus 1-0 to complete a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference sweep Saturday afternoon.

Hocking went 2-for-4 with a triple and three RBIs as the Cardinals beat the Gusties 6-0 in the opener.

Hocking, who tossed a complete-game one-hitter — allowing just a fourth-inning lead-off single — in winning the opening game, started Game 2, allowing just two hits in four innings. Gonerka game on in the fifth and worked three straight 1-2-3 innings — allowing just two balls to reach the outfield — in picking up the victory.

Jennifer Miller (Winona, Minn.) provided all the offense the Cardinals would need in the second game, lacing a two-out single right right, scoring Jackie Huegel (Alta Vista, Iowa). Huegel, Miller and Lindsey Smith (Elma, Iowa) were the only SMU players to get a hit off Gustavus starter Molly Biehm, but it proved to be more than enough as SMU (11-1 MIAC, 21-5 overall) ran its conference winning streak to 11 straight and its overall win streak to 15.

In the first game, Hocking delivered the key blows, lacing a two-out, two-run single in the second and an RBI triple in the Cardinals' three-run fifth. Niki Lynch (Winona, Minn.), Ann Munzenmaier (Urbandale, Iowa), Smith, and Gina Rizzardi (Woodbury, Minn.) accounted for SMU's other four hits.