The Saint Mary softball team swept McPherson with a 2-1 win in eight innings and a 5-3 win in game two to clinch a berth in the KCAC Tournament. The Spires are now 10-10 in KCAC play tied with McPherson for fifth place but holding the tie breaker over the Bulldogs based on head to head performance.
In the 2-1 win, Katlyn Schiefen tossed a complete game for the Spires. Schiefen struck out four and walked one while allowing just one hit. Both teams would go scoreless through regulation and the game was tied at 0-0. The international tie breaker rule placed a runner at second base to start the eighth inning for both teams.
McPherson would sacrifice bunt their runner to third and a successful suicide squeeze gave them the 1-0 lead. Another bunt attempt was popped up and resulted in a double play for the Spires sending them to the plate trailing by one. Samantha Torres sacrifice bunted Alana Renshaw to third base bringing up Hailey Reece who would get down a suicide squeeze to tie the game. Reece would be caught stealing for the second out of the inning, but Kaila Trowbridge kept the inning alive with a double to left field. Cassidy Harbert then sent an RBI single to left field to give Saint Mary the 2-1 walk off victory.
In game two, Schiefen tossed three more innings and allowed just one run for the Spires on three hits. Torres pitched four innings allowing two runs on six hits. Saint Mary jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first with three hits, taking advantage of two McPherson errors as well. After the Bulldogs cut the deficit to 3-2 with two runs in the top of the fourth, Saint Mary answered with runs in the bottom of the fourth and fifth innings to lead 5-2. McPherson would get one more in the sixth but drew no closer as the Spires held on for the 5-3 win.
Trowbridge led the offense with three hits in the win. Lindsey Fishman, Torres, and Schiefen each had two hits. Trowbridge also stole two bases. The Spires scored five runs on 13 hits as a team. Eight different Spires recorded a hit in the game.
The softball team will be back in action in their regular season finale on Saturday at 4pm in a double header at Friends. The KCAC Tournament will begin on May 2 in Great Bend, Kan.
