York, Neb.— The Spires used a five-run fifth inning to overpower the Panthers and then held off a late York rally for an 8-7 victory Saturday afternoon in Nebraska, closing the 2026 season on a high note with the road win. USM would finish their year by erasing an early deficit and answering with their biggest offensive frame of the afternoon.

York built a 3-0 lead through three innings before Saint Mary broke through in the fourth. Jaxon Sloan delivered the key swing of that inning, homering to left for a two-run shot that cut the deficit to 3-2. York answered with a run in the bottom of the fourth, but the Spires turned the game in the fifth with a sustained rally that produced five runs and a 7-4 lead.

Ian Maldonado helped spark that inning by singling home Saul Vazquez-Alvarado, and Sean Goings followed with a two-run single up the middle. Maverick Rockers added an RBI hit to cap the surge. Saint Mary added another run in the sixth on Tannen Buss' RBI ground out, which stretched the advantage to 8-4 and proved important when York made one last push.

The Panthers scored three times in the bottom of the sixth to get within a run. Petersen supplied a two-RBI single during the rally, and Gorecki also had a run-producing hit for the Panthers. The Spires would however use their early momentum to close out the final inning and secure the victory.

Sloan finished 2 for 3 with a home run, three RBIs and a sacrifice fly to lead the Saint Mary offense. Vazquez-Alvarado collected two hits, scored twice and walked, while Rockers went 2 for 3 with a double, an RBI and a walk. Goings drove in two runs, and Maldonado added a hit, an RBI and a run scored. As a team, the Spires scored eight runs on nine hits and turned in a clean, error free outing in the field.

The late rally made for a tense finish, but USM had done their damage in the middle innings, flipping a 4-2 deficit into an 8-4 lead. In a season finale with no postseason berth ahead, USM fought to find a way to earn just one more win. The University of Saint Mary is extremely proud of our senior leaders Maverick Rockers, Sergio Fierro, Ben Brandt, Bryce Turner, Devin Watkins, Jacob Rehkow, Andres Zarate, Luis Velazquez, Andrew Richardson, Moises Soriano, Emilio Ramirez, Alex Dilley, Gabriel Olguin, Garrison Spoonts, Sean Goings, and Sebastian Del Olmo and thanks them for everything they brought to USM baseball.