Leavenworth, Kan.—

Game one:

A three-run rally in the top of the seventh inning turned a one-run lead into a late setback for the University of Saint Mary softball team, as the Spires fell 5-3 to Ottawa this afternoon at the USM Softball Complex in Leavenworth, Kansas.

The Spires had positioned themselves well early, answering Ottawa's first strike in the second inning. After the Braves opened the scoring on a bases-loaded walk to make it 1-0, USM responded with a pair of timely hits in the bottom half. Brooke Gerling jump-started the offense with a double to left-center that brought home Nora Burrell—who singled to center to start the bottom half of the inning—to tie the game, and Kylie Vandervoort followed with a single up the middle to score Gerling and put the Spires ahead 2-1.

Ottawa pulled even in the fifth on an RBI triple to right from Becker, but the Spires again had an answer. In the bottom of the fifth, Gerling continued her strong day at the plate with a single up the middle to get the momentum shifted in her squad's favor. Brianna Camarena would single to left right after as would Vandervoort, loading the bases for Raegan McConnell. Raegan would hit a sac fly to center, scoring Gerling. This earned McConnel her first RBI of the afternoon and restored the Spires' lead at 3-2 and gave the home team needed momentum heading into the late innings.

The Spires carried this 3-2 advantage into the final frame before Ottawa pieced together the decisive push. A lead off base runner and steady pressure set the table for the visitors, and Ottawa's Melvin delivered the biggest swing of the day with a two-run double to center to flip the score to 4-3. A run-scoring ground out by Stainbrook added insurance, leaving the Spires down two heading into their last at-bat. Unfortunately, the bottom of the seventh would see a ground out and a line out by Camarena and Vandervoort, respectively. McConnell would give it her all with a single to try and rally the troops, but Briana Solis would end the inning and subsequently the game with a pop-up foul ball to the Braves catcher.

The Spires' lineup out-hit Ottawa 9-6 on the day, collecting two doubles and manufacturing runs in both the second and fifth innings. USM also showed situational execution, stranding just six runners compared with seven left on base by the Braves.

In the circle, starter Grace Rose gave the Spires a chance to win, working 6.0 innings and limiting Ottawa to four hits through six frames. Defensively, however, the Spires were hurt by two errors, while Ottawa played a clean game in the field and converted its key chances.

Ottawa's Becker earned the complete-game victory in the circle, scattering nine hits over 7.0 innings. Despite consistent traffic on the bases by Saint Mary, Becker induced enough routine outs to keep the Spires from extending the lead, setting the stage for Ottawa's seventh-inning comeback.

Game Two:

A six-run surge in the third inning gave USM a brief command of game two, but Ottawa answered with steady scoring over the final four frames to hand the Spires a 12-8 defeat and wrap up the KCAC series.

Ottawa struck first in the top of the first inning on a fielder's choice by Stainbrook, but the Spires answered in the bottom of the second. Grace Rose came around to score on a sacrifice fly to center by Brooke Gerling, pulling Saint Mary even at 1-1 and setting the stage for the offensive outburst that followed.

The Spires built an early cushion behind an explosive third inning, turning a 2-1 deficit into a steady 7-2 lead. Trailing after an Ottawa RBI double, Saint Mary flipped momentum with Gerling's two-run double to right-center, the first big blow of the frame and the hit that pushed the Spires in front. Later in the inning, Kate Robinette pushed the advantage even further with a two-RBI single to left, capping the rally and bringing the USM lead to 5.

Ottawa answered quickly with a four-run top of the fourth to close within 7-6, but the Spires briefly stemmed the tide in the bottom half. Gerling continued her productive day with another knock to score Burrell who had walked earlier in the inning to extend the lead to 8-6, giving the senior four RBIs on the afternoon and providing what appeared to be needed insurance at the time.

The Braves continued to chip away before taking control with a three-run sixth. The turning point came when Ottawa's Becker delivered a two-run double to left-center in the top of the sixth, flipping an 8-7 Spire edge into a 10-8 Braves lead. An insurance two-run home run by Stainbrook in the seventh ended the Spires' comeback hopes.

USM finished with eight runs on 11 hits and left five runners on base, while Ottawa produced 12 runs on 13 hits and took advantage of eight walks. Gerling again led the Spires with a 2-for-3 line that included four RBIs and Robinette added a two-RBI single.

The Spires will hit the road this Saturday, March 21^st as they travel to North Newton, Kansas to face-off against the 7-9 Bethel College Threshers with games set for 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m.