DULUTH, Minn. – The St. Scholastica softball team will play six Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) games this weekend as it hosts a doubleheader against Martin Luther College on Friday for “Faculty Appreciation Day” and then it will host a doubleheader against Bethany Lutheran College on Saturday for the team's “StrikeOut Cancer Campaign.”  The Saints will then conclude the weekend as they travel to Ashland, Wis. to take on Northland College in the weekend's final doubleheader matchup.

Game Times:
Friday vs. Martin Luther – 3 p.m. (Doubleheader) "Faculty Appreciation Day"
Saturday vs. Bethany Lutheran – 1 p.m. (Doubleheader) NFCA StrikeOut Cancer
Sunday at Northland – 1 p.m. (Doubleheader)

Game Coverage:
Live Stats for Home Games

Last Action:
The Saints are coming off a two-game thumping of Crown College.  The Saints would use 43 hits combined in both games to win 22-2 and 27-1.   Game two of the doubleheader saw St. Scholastica put up 15 runs in the second inning.

St. Scholastica Saints (12-8, 4-1 UMAC)
The Saints now ride a three-game conference win streak … The Saints sit tied atop first place in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) with Northland College each at 4-1 … The Saints have outscored their opponents 41-5 in the second inning this season … Bonnie Kowalczyk (Menomonee Falls, Wis./Menomonee Falls HS) leads the Saints with a .420 batting average along with 22 runs batted in and a .780 slugging percentage … Freshman Emily Schiro (Brooklyn Park, Minn./Armstrong HS) is tied most for triples (2) and is third on the team with a batting average of .415 … Jordan Spiering (Mounds View, Minn./Irondale HS) leads all pitchers with a 2.95 earned run average, despite not pitching since the game vs. Eau Claire … The Saints have an overall earned run average of 3.18 while opponents have a 5.59 earned run average …  Darcy Roach (East Grand Forks, Minn./Sacred Heart HS) has pitched seven complete games followed by Spiering with six … The pitching staff has held opponents to a .249 batting average.

Martin Luther Knights (4-10, 3-2 UMAC)
The Knights have been defeated ten times this year, but sit in a three-way tie for second place currently in the UMAC standings … The Knights just split with Presentation College on Tuesday …  The Knights are led offensively by Sarah Free with a .489 batting average, 22 hits, 14 runs, and 11 runs batted in … Five other players bat above .300 for the Knights … A positive note for the Knights is base running as they have stolen 19 bases in 22 attempts … The year has been a struggle for the MLC pitching staff, but Laura Miller leads the way with a 6.47 earned run average in 55.2 innings pitched … The team ERA is 8.93 with opponents hitting .387.

Last Meeting: (CSS All-Time Record vs. Martin Luther: 45-7)
In three games last season, the Saints outscored the Knights 44-2. Bonnie Kowalczyk (Menomonee Falls, Wis./Menomonee Falls HS) recorded eight RBIs in the three games.

Bethany Lutheran Vikings (7-16, 3-2 UMAC)
The Vikings started conference play 3-0, but recently dropped two games to Minnesota-Morris … The Vikings sit in a three-way tie for second place in the UMAC at 3-2 …  Offensively for Bethany Lutheran, Gena Chester leads the way with a .357 batting average to go along with 25 hits, ten which were doubles, the only player to have a home run, 14 runs scored, and 38 total bases …  No other player on the roster bats above .300 … As a team the Vikings bat .237 and have a .306 slugging percentage …  The Vikings have two pitchers who share game duties with Amanda Edmison leading the way with a 4.92 earned run average followed by Emily Rauchman with a 5.41 ERA …  The two have combined to strike out 62 batters and hold opponents to a .313 batting average.

Last Meeting: (CSS All-Time Record vs. Bethany Lutheran: 18-1)
The Saints prevailed four times against the Vikings last year, including a 6-4 victory in the conference tournament semifinals in which the Saints came back to win after being down 2-1 for four innings.  Tiff Hudack (Ashland, Wis./Ashland HS) was a factor in the game, hitting a three-run home run to put CSS up 6-2.

Northland LumberJills (11-11, 4-1 UMAC)
The LumberJills sit tied for first with St. Scholastica at 4-1 in the UMAC … The LumberJills ride a four-game conference win streak after sweeping Northwestern College this past Tuesday … Katherine Andreiko paces the LumberJills with a .414 batting average, 24 total hits, and four doubles on the year … Angela Koosmann leads the team with 17 RBIs, while Stephanie Wilkenson has a team high three home runs …  Loy also leads the bullpen with a 3.50 earned run average to go along with 45 strikeouts and a 5-4 overall record.

Last Meeting: (CSS All-Time Record vs. Northland: 36-8)
The Saints and LumberJills met a few weeks ago at Kenwood Field in both teams' first UMAC game which saw the Saints plate eight runs in the first two innings to cruise to a 10-3 victory.