Hillsboro, Kan.—

Game One:

The Spires broke a tie with two runs in extra innings Saturday in game one and finished off a 5-3 victory over Tabor College in Hillsboro. The critical sequence came after Tabor erased the Spires' extra-inning lead in the bottom of the eighth, but Saint Mary answered again when Nora Burrell reached on a throwing error that brought home the go-ahead run and Brooke Gerling followed with an RBI single to left for insurance.

USM had to climb out of an early hole after the Bluejays scored twice in the opening frame. Garber opened the scoring with a double to left-center that plated Grimsley, and Samifua added a run-scoring single to left later in the inning for a 2-0 lead. Saint Mary chipped away in the fourth when Brianna Camarena singled to shortstop to drive in Audrey Spellman, then pulled even in the fifth on Spellman's RBI single to left that scored Grace Rose.

The afternoon stayed tight into extras before the Spires briefly moved in front in the eighth. Briana Solis singled back to the pitcher to score pinch-runner Rylie Wiseman and give the Spires a 3-2 edge. Tabor answered in the bottom half when Hammons doubled down the right-field line to bring home Garber and send the game to the ninth inning tied at 3-3.

The top of the ninth would start in USM's favor. After Raegan McConnell was placed on second base to start the inning, per NAIA extra inning rules, Nora Burrell reached on an error by the Bluejay first basemen, scoring McConnell in the top half of the frame. Rose would lay down a clean sac bunt to advance Burrell to third and in perfect scoring position. Brooke Gerling would deliver the hero swing, knocking it into left field and scoring Burrell, putting her squad ahead 5-3.

From there, the Spire defense would seal their own fate, producing a fly out to left field, pop-up right back to Rose on the mound, and another game ending pop-up to the infield.

The Spire offense tallied 12 hits, with Gerling and Spellman leading the way. Gerling went 3-for-4 with an RBI, while Spellman also finished 3-for-4, drove in a run, scored once and stole two bases. The Spires drew five walks and put consistent pressure on Tabor despite leaving 13 runners on base. USM finished without an error, while the Bluejays committed three, including the ninth-inning miscue that allowed the winning run to score.

Rose delivered the full game in the circle for USM, working all nine innings on 144 pitches. She struck out eight, allowed nine hits and three runs, and found her groove after the opening inning to keep the Spires within striking distance. Tabor finished with nine hits, and Garber paced that lineup by going 3-for-4 with two runs scored, an RBI and a double.
 
Game Two:

In the final game of the series, the Spires carried a four-run lead into the bottom of the fourth inning, but unfortunately Tabor would have an answer with a game-changing rally and went on to hand the Spires a 7-5 softball loss.

The largest swing came in the Bluejays four-run fourth inning. After RBI singles from Brower and Grimsley trimmed the deficit, Hefley lined a two-run double down the left-field line to erase USM's 5-1 advantage and tie the game at 5. Tabor would then move in front for good in the fifth when Kobler delivered an RBI single up the middle, scoring Evans who started the inning off with a single of her own down the right field line, sealing the game for the Bluejays.

The Spires had built control of the game with a strong middle stretch. After Tabor scored first in the second on Brower's RBI single, USM came up with a big answer with two runs in the third. Kylie Vandervoort brought home the first run on a ground out to shortstop, and Raegan McConnell followed with an RBI ground out to second base as USM snagged a 2-1 lead.

The Spires added three more runs in the fourth to push the margin to 5-1. Briana Camarena drew a bases-loaded walk to force in a run, and Vandervoort added an RBI single as Saint Mary took advantage of patient at-bats and timely contact. Briana Solis also contributed offensively for the Spires, finishing with one hit, one RBI and two walks.

Vandervoort finished with one hit, two RBIs, a walk and a stolen base for Saint Mary, which scored five runs on five hits and did not commit an error. Gabriella Rogers, Rose, Gerling, and Solis would also tally one hit apiece. The Spires also drew five walks and left only three runners on base, but the Bluejay lineup consistently answered, collecting 11 hits. Hefley led the TC with three hits, two RBIs, one run scored and a double, while Brower added two hits and two RBIs and Grimsley had two hits and one RBI.

Hetherington earned the win for Tabor in the circle after allowing five runs, four earned, over seven innings. USM's Gracie Carlson took the loss after working six innings.