The Saint Mary softball team opened the 2018 season at the Cowtown Classic in Fort Worth this weekend. The Spires played four games but dropped all four to open the season 0-4.
The first game of the weekend came against Bellevue. Paige Stewart offered two scoreless innings from the pitching circle for Saint Mary before the Bruins plated two runs in the third. Katlyn Schiefen would replace Steward in the fourth and finish the game. Stewart tossed three innings and allowed three runs, two earned. Shiefen's final line would be two and two thirds innings pitched allowing seven runs, four earned. The Spires offense could not get going as they eventually fell 10-0.
In the second game of the weekend, Saint Mary took on Baker. The Spires looked to be back on track as they scored five runs in the bottom of the first to lead 5-0. Baker would respond with two runs in the second and four in the third before putting the game away with seven runs in the fifth. Maddison Carr paced the offense going two for two at the plate. Haley Reece tripled and Samantha Torres doubled. The Spires got RBI from five different players in the loss.
The third game was the toughest to swallow for the Spires as they got out to a 10-2 lead by the end of the third inning and looked to be in complete control of the game. Avila got to within 10-4 by the end of the fourth, but they would take the lead with seven more runs in the fifth. Saint Mary tied the game in the bottom of the inning, but two more runs from Avila in the sixth put the game out of reach and gave Saint Mary the 13-11 loss. Cassdy Harbert hit her first grand slam as a Spire in the third inning. She finished wth four RBI in the game. Torres doubled twice and Reece added a double as well. Alana Renshaw and Torres each finished two for four at the plate. Renshaw finished with two RBI and Torres added one.
Saint Mary finished the weekend with a 12-3 loss to William Woods. The Spires trailed 2-0 after the first but scored three runs in the second to take the 3-2 lead. William Woods would score two runs in the third to regain the lead and put the game away with eight more in the fourth. Harbert and Schiefen had the lone hits for the Spires. Harbert doubled and drove in two runs.
