Hillsboro, Kan.—Spire baseball erased a six-run deficit and briefly seized a late lead, but Tabor walked off with a game-winning single in the bottom of the 10^th inning on Monday after a weather delay pushed the final game of the conference opening series against the Blujays.

After USM stormed back with eight runs over the final four regulation innings to move in front, Tabor answered, tying the game in the eighth and ending it two innings later. In the 10th, Mack reached and came around to score on a single by Calder, whose walk-off hit capped a three-RBI day and handed the Spires a narrow road loss on the road.

The Spires found themselves in an early hole after Tabor used the long ball to build a 6-0 advantage through three innings. Calder opened the scoring with a three-run home run in the first inning, and Overbey added a solo shot in the second as the Bluejays pushed their edge to 5-0. Another run in the third left Saint Mary chasing six before the offense began to chip away.

The Spire's breakthrough came in the sixth, when the lineup strung together quality at-bats to claw back into the game. USM plated four runs in the frame, highlighted by a three-run home run from Brady Heinen that cut the deficit to 6-4 and swung the momentum toward the visitors. Heinen finished 3-for-6 with two runs scored and three RBIs to pace the middle of the order.

The Spires continued their surge in the seventh and eighth. After adding a run in the seventh, Saint Mary erupted again in the eighth for four more, taking its first lead of the afternoon at 9-6. Ian Maldonado delivered a key swing in the inning, launching a solo home run as part of the four-run rally. Maldonado went 2-for-4 with two runs, two RBIs and a hit-by-pitch, while Sergio Fierro led the lineup with a 4-for-6 performance, scoring twice and driving in two, including a home run of his own as USM piled up 16 hits and three homers.

Tabor responded immediately in the bottom of the eighth, capitalizing on traffic to pull even. The Bluejays pushed across three runs to tie the game at 9-9, with Mack delivering a two-RBI double as part of his three-RBI afternoon. Mack finished 2-for-5 with two runs scored, a double and a sacrifice fly, while Calder closed a strong day with the decisive hit in the 10th. Despite the loss, the Spire pitching staff battled through 9 1/3 innings, scattering 10 hits and 10 runs — nine earned — on 181 pitches while stranding 10 Tabor runners.

Offensively, the Spires out-hit Tabor 16-10, drew four walks and were hit by a pitch once, but stranded 13 runners in the extra-inning contest. Saint Mary finished with two doubles and three home runs, showing depth throughout the order in the comeback effort. Tabor, meanwhile, paired 11 walks and two hit batters with timely extra-base hits, including three doubles and two homers.
USM will look to build on the offensive momentum from Monday's late-inning surge as they continue early-season play.

Coming up, the Spires will stay on the road but much closer to home when they travel to Ottawa University to take on the Braves in a single game on Wednesday, February 18^th at 1:00 p.m.