After falling 5-2 in its opening contest, Saint Mary's responded with a dominant performance, shutting out North Park in a 4-0 win in the second game of the doubleheader.
The opener was a closely contested, defensive contest for much of the game. The game was scoreless until the top of the sixth inning, when the visitors pushed across three runs.
The Belles (11-5, 0-2 MIAA) answered with a run in the bottom of the sixth when sophomore pitcher Cassie Selner scored on a fielder's choice.
North Park (11-5) added two runs in the top of the seventh, silencing Saint Mary's comeback attempt.
In the second game, the Belles rode a strong pitching performance from senior pitcher Monica Palicki to a shutout victory.
Saint Mary's got on the board early, scoring three runs in the third inning. They pushed their first run across on senior outfielder Kristen Nelson's RBI triple. A throwing error allowed Nelson to score. The Belles scored their last run of the inning on junior catcher Morgan Bedan's RBI single.
This would prove to be all the run support Palicki needed, as she closed out the game without allowing a single North Park run.
Saint Mary's added an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth inning on freshman first baseman Jordie Wasserman's RBI single.
The win marked Belles coach Erin Sullivan's 150th career victory at Saint Mary's.
The Belles are next in action when they travel to Defiance Monday, with first pitch scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
