Leavenworth, Kan.—A decisive three-run third inning for the Defenders and a combined three-hitter handed the Spires a 5-0 loss in a seven-inning non-conference opening weekend match up Saturday afternoon at the USM baseball field.

The Spire pitchers limited Dordt to single runs in only two of the seven frames, but the three-run surge in the third proved too much to overcome as the USM offense was held in check. Saint Mary finished with three hits and stranded seven baserunners while Dordt collected 10 hits and left 10 on base.

Dordt broke through in the third after a leadoff double by Harris set the tone for the inning. An RBI single brought Harris across for the game's first run, and Schlessel followed with a sacrifice fly to center to make it 2-0. Another run scored on a throwing error in the frame, pushing the deficit to 3-0 and giving Dordt the cushion it needed the rest of the way.

Saint Mary kept the game within reach into the middle innings, but Dordt added insurance with sacrifice offense. In the fifth, DU lifted a sacrifice fly to center to score Templeton and extend the lead to 4-0. One inning later, Templeton struck again with a single to right that plated Vann for Dordt's fifth and final run of game one.

Offensively, the Spires generated traffic with three hits and three walks but were unable to come up with a timely swing, as Dordt pitching recorded 11 strikeouts on the day. Saint Mary also executed a sacrifice bunt and put nine balls in play on the ground, but the Dordt defense worked around the pressure and overcame two errors without allowing a run.

Dordt's staff controlled the game on the mound, with starter Eubanks earning the win after working 5.0 scoreless innings. Eubanks scattered two hits, walked three and struck out seven on 75 pitches. Reliever Boe closed the door with 2.0 innings of one-hit relief, striking out four and retiring the side in the seventh to finish the shutout.

In game two, a four-run fifth inning, highlighted by a bases-clearing double from Tannen Buss, proved huge as Saint Mary defeated Dordt (Iowa) 10-6 in their first win of the new season.

The Spires used three multi-run frames and a persistent approach at the plate to take control, finishing with 10 runs on 10 hits and 10 walks. Saint Mary built a 2-0 lead in the second inning, added four more in the fourth and then broke the game open with four in the fifth to withstand a pair of Dordt rallies in the middle innings.

Saint Mary struck first in the bottom of the second when Maverick Rockers delivered a two-run single to left field, giving the Spires an early 2-0 advantage. Dordt cut the margin to 2-1 in the third on a sacrifice fly to center by Schlessel, but the Spires answered quickly with a big fourth inning, pushing four runs across to extend the lead to 6-1.

Dordt briefly turned momentum in the top of the fourth, mounting a rally that brought the visitors back into the game. The Defenders singled home a run, and Harris reached on an error at first base that allowed two additional runs to score, trimming the deficit to 6-4. Despite the three unearned runs, the Spire pitching staff limited further damage and kept their crew in front.

USM responded immediately in the bottom of the fifth with the game's defining sequence. After traffic on the bases, Buss turned the inning into a breakthrough, driving a double to right field that cleared the bases for three runs. Buss finished with four RBIs, one hit, a double, two walks and a hit-by-pitch, while the Spires' fifth-inning surge pushed the lead back out to 10-4 and effectively put the contest out of reach.

The Spire offense, however, provided more than enough support. Along with Buss, Rockers chipped in a two-RBI, one-hit, one-run day with two walks, and John Caime reached base frequently with two hits, a run, an RBI and two walks. The Spires also showed depth in the lineup, leaving 14 runners on base but consistently pressuring Dordt's staff, which needed 153 pitches to get through six innings and was tagged for 10 earned runs.

On the mound, Saint Mary pitchers scattered five hits over seven innings, allowing six runs but only three earned while issuing nine walks and striking out two. Dordt left nine runners on base and could not fully cash in on its opportunities, as the Spires' staff recorded key outs in the late innings to preserve the four-run margin.

After an excited opening weekend at home, the Spires will take a weekend trip to Hillsboro to begin KCAC play as they face-off against the Tabor College Bluejays in a double header on Saturday, February 14^th at noon and 3:00 p.m. and a single game on Sunday the 15^th at 1:00 p.m.