Bartlesville, Okla.—
Game One:
The Spires fell behind early game one this afternoon and could not fully recover in an 8-2 loss to Oklahoma Wesleyan in Bartlesville. The Eagles started strong in a stretch that came in the first two innings, when OKWU used a two-run home run from Purtell in the first and a four-run second inning to build a quick 6-0 lead.
Purtell set the tone with her first-inning two-run shot, and the Eagles added more pressure in the second. Gustus drove in a run with a single, and Huie followed with a two-run single as Oklahoma Wesleyan opened up the game. The home team added two more runs in the fourth, including Purtell's second homer of the day, and finished with eight runs on nine hits.
USM answered in the third.
Briana Solis tripled to put a runner in scoring position, and
Brianna Camarena brought her home with an RBI single to get the Spires on the board. The Spires scored again in the fifth when
Grace Rose tripled to right and helped trim the deficit to 8-2. Rose led Saint Mary at the plate, going 2 for 3 with a triple and an RBI as the Spires finished with nine hits.
Despite matching Oklahoma Wesleyan with nine hits, Saint Mary could not string together enough offense against starter Simpson, who worked five innings and allowed two earned runs while striking out six. The Spires did not draw a walk and left four runners on base. OKWU played clean defense behind Simpson and finished without an error in the field.
In the circle, the Spires used
Gracie Carlson and
Desarae Chavez to cover six innings. The Spires' staff threw 129 pitches, 82 for strikes, while the Eagles added pressure on the bases with six stolen bases. Fory contributed two hits, including a double, scored a run and stole two bases for the Eagles, while Huie added two RBIs.
USM's best offensive moments came on extra-base hits from Solis and Rose, but the early deficit proved too deep of a hole to overcome.The Spires finished with two runs, nine hits and two errors.
Game Two:
In the final game of the series, USM carried a one-run lead into the bottom of the fifth inning, but Oklahoma Wesleyan answered with a critical three-run rally and went on to a 7-3 softball win in game two to take the series. Fory's two-run home run in the fifth swung the game back to the host Eagles, and Purtell added a two-run homer in the sixth to provide the final margin.
The Spires struck first in the top of the second when
Grace Rose lifted a solo home run to give her squad a 1-0 advantage. OKWU responded immediately in the bottom half. Hernandez delivered an RBI single, and Gustus reached on an error that brought home another run as the Eagles moved in front 2-1.
The Spires regained control briefly in the fifth.
Analesa Gonzales came through with a pinch-hit single, and the Spires took advantage of a center-field error to score two unearned runs and grab a 3-2 lead. That momentum was short-lived as Oklahoma Wesleyan answered in the bottom of the inning with three runs, highlighted by Fory's two-run shot, to reclaim a 5-3 edge.
Purtell helped put the game away in the sixth. Her two-run homer extended the Oklahoma Wesleyan lead to 7-3 and capped a strong offensive day for the Eagles, who finished with 12 hits. Huie went 3 for 3 and scored twice, while Ogle added two hits, including a double, and drove in a run. Purtell finished 2 for 4 with two RBIs, and Fory's home run accounted for two more.
USM finished with six hits, one home run and one double. The Spires also committed two errors, while OKWU had one.
Bianca Venegas worked all six innings for Saint Mary, allowing seven runs on 12 hits with two strikeouts over 82 pitches.
Oklahoma Wesleyan used a two-pitcher effort to close it out. Vargas handled the first five innings before Rogers covered the final two. The Spires did not draw a walk and struck out seven times, leaving little margin after the fifth-inning lead slipped away.
Spire softball currently sits eighth overall in the KCAC standings and with this face-off being the final conference series of the regular season, USM will await the release of the 2026 KCAC Softball Championship bracket.
