Erica Ralfs struck out six over six scoreless innings and collected a pair of hits as St. Ambrose opened the 2022 season with a 7-0 shutout of Saint Mary Friday afternoon at the Ambrose Dome.

Ralfs and Maria Provenzano combined on the five-hit shutout. And the Bee offense supplied more than enough support. Olivia McClintock led the 10-hit attack, going 3-for-4 with two stolen bases and two runs scored.

SAU struck early, plating three runs in the bottom of the first without the benefit of a hit. Two Saint Mary errors and a walk allowed McClintock, Kaylee King and Alyssa Schumacher to score for a fast 3-0 lead.

McClintock and Shai Erdrich led off the third with back-to-back bunt singles. That was followed by another Flame error and an RBI groundout off the bat of Aleah Wight to push the lead to 5-0.

Kaitlyn Sandora and Sophia Delgado had run-scoring singles in the sixth inning to account for the final two SAU runs.

Kayla Stenger also singled in the win.

The Bees will return indoors for its first of two Ambrose Dome Tournaments this weekend. Saturday, St. Ambrose will face Saint Mary and Mount Mercy, and Sunday, SAU will take on Mount Mercy and Waldorf.