Leavenworth, KS- The University of Saint Mary Softball team fought off the Kansas Wesleyan University Coyotes to split in their doubleheader at home.

Game 1

The Spires were locked in a pitcher's duel for the duration of game one as both teams' starters worked deep into the later innings. Saint Mary starter Maria Howard held the Coyotes to just two runs in the early innings by striking out four. The Spires offense was slow out of the gate and were unable to get those runs back. Then, in the sixth, a few untimely errors by Saint Mary led to two insurance runs for the Coyotes, which forced Howard out of the game. The Spires were led offensively by freshmen Abigail Kudym who went two for three, but the Spires were unable to mount a comeback late in the game, losing 4-0.

Game 2

In the second game, the Spires found themselves down early after KWU strung together a few hits and scored one run to take the lead. When Saint Mary came up in the bottom half of the third inning, they were able to put together some hits of their own and tied the game on an RBI single hit by Victoria Gutierrez. The Spires would not stop there as they went on to score again in the fifth and sixth to make it 3-1 heading into the top of the seventh. Starter Shelby Mohler would finish off the Coyotes in the top of the seventh by striking out the last two batters to secure the win. Mohler went the complete game along with striking out six Kansas Wesleyan batters. Gutierrez led the Spires on offense in game two going two for three with two big RBIs for Saint Mary.

Up Next

The Spires will hit the road against York College for a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. on Saturday in York, Nebraska.