Lincoln, Neb.—Spire softball opened up their 2026 season on the road in Nebraska this weekend at the Sandhills Global Complex. USM dropped both games of the series to the Concordia Bulldogs (NE) but each by extremely close margins, dropping the first game 3-4 and the second 7-8.

Game one saw the Spires erase a three-run deficit to pull even in the seventh inning, but Concordia (Neb.) delivered a walk-off sacrifice fly in the bottom half to hand the Spires a game one loss.
Concordia built an early cushion with single runs in the second and a two-run swing in the fourth. Ganstrom opened the scoring in the second inning for the Bulldogs with an RBI triple to center, driving in Krieser for a 1-0 lead. Hart then pushed the margin to 3-0 in the fourth, driving a two-run double to left that scored Wright and Ganstrom.

The Spires answered in the fifth inning and steadily climbed back into the game. Jayden Hanna jump-started the offense with a double and later came around to score on a run-scoring single to center by Brianna Camarena, putting the Spires on the board at 3-1. Hanna also swiped a base as Saint Mary applied more pressure on the base paths.

USM would then cut the deficit to one in the sixth. After Brooke Gerling reached and moved into scoring position, Analesa Gonzales delivered a sacrifice fly to center, bringing Gerling home to make it 3-2. Saint Mary completed the comeback in the top of the seventh when pinch-runner Rylie Wiseman scored on a sacrifice fly to right off the bat of Audrey Spellman. Wiseman's run tied the game 3-3 and set the table perfectly for the dramatic finish.

Tied 3-3, Concordia put the winning run on base in the bottom half and would unfortunately cash in. After Hart reached and moved into scoring position, Topp lifted a sacrifice fly to center field that brought Hart home with the decisive run and ended a late Spires comeback bid.

Offensively in game one, USM finished with six hits, including two doubles and a triple, and drew three walks while stealing two bases. The Spires left six runners on base but converted key opportunities late with three runs across the final three innings. Defensively, Saint Mary committed just one error in support of All-KCAC returner, Grace Rose, who worked 6 2/3 innings and kept the Spires within striking distance despite Concordia's 12-hit output.

Rose was charged with the loss after allowing four earned runs on 12 hits with three strikeouts and two walks. Concordia's Denison earned the complete-game win, giving up three runs (two earned) on six hits with three strikeouts and three walks over 7.0 innings. Both teams stranded six runners and each committed one error in a game that turned on late-inning execution.

Game two saw late innings in similar fashion to game one, when the Spires put the tying run in scoring position in the seventh and brought the go-ahead run to the plate, but an eighth-inning comeback bid ended just short in an 8-7 loss to Concordia.

USM set the tone early with a fast start at the plate. In the top of the first, Riley Wiseman put her team in front with a two-run double to left field, scoring Grace Rose and Raegan McConnell for a snappy 2-0 lead. Concordia answered in the bottom half with an RBI sacrifice liner from Krieser and a solo home run by Maguire to even the score at 2-2 after one.

Concordia would inch ahead with a two-run fourth inning, highlighted by an RBI double from Zaugg that pushed the Bulldogs to a 4-2 edge. USM cut into the margin in the top of the fifth when Rose delivered an infield RBI single to third, plating Spellman to make it 4-3. The Bulldogs responded with their biggest frame of the day in the bottom of the fifth, using six extra-base hits overall in the game to generate a four-run inning that stretched the lead to 8-3. Maguire added a run-scoring sacrifice liner, and Ganstrom followed with a two-run double to center before Zaugg tacked on another RBI single.

The Spires mounted their best rally in the sixth, turning steady pressure at the plate into four huge runs. After loading the bases, Saint Mary drew a bases-loaded walk from Nora Burrell to force in a run and make it 8-4. Moments later, McConnell drilled a two-run double to left, scoring Gabriella Rogers and Brooke Gerling to pull USM within 8-6. Rose then grounded out to second, but the RBI put the Spires within just one at 8-7 heading to the final frame.

Trailing 8-7 in the top of the seventh, the Spires threatened immediately when Jayden Hanna barreled a lead off double, putting the tying run on second with no outs. Concordia's bullpen, however, induced a pair of outs and stranded Hanna to close out a one-run decision that saw Saint Mary outhit the Bulldogs and play error-free defense.

McConnell led the Saint Mary offense, finishing 3-for-4 with a double, two RBIs and a run scored. Rose reached base three times, going 2-for-3 with two RBIs and a walk, while Wiseman added a 2-for-4 line with a two-run double in the first inning. The Spires totaled four doubles among their 10 hits, drew three walks and had one hit batter, leaving eight runners on base in the narrow defeat.

Concordia's Elsasser earned the win in the circle, working five innings and allowing four runs before turning the ball over to Ganstrom, who provided both key run support at the plate and 1.2 innings of relief in the late innings. USM finished the contest without an error defensively and kept pressure on throughout, setting a productive offensive foundation despite the one-run setback.

The season is only just beginning and your Spire softball team will return home this Wednesday, February 18^th for a double header against Missouri Valley College at 1:00 and 3:00 p.m. on campus at the USM Softball Complex.