Leavenworth, Kan.— An explosive afternoon at the plate and a steady outing in the circle powered the University of Saint Mary to a 9-2 win over Missouri Valley on Wednesday afternoon in USM's home opener in Leavenworth.

Game one saw the Spires seizing control early, putting up two runs in the first inning and four more in the second to build a 6-0 cushion that Missouri Valley never seriously threatened. Brianna Camarena set the tone in the opening frame with a triple to right field to score Audrey Spellman, then came home on a sac fly from Raegan McConnell to make it 2-0. The Spires added a run in the third, ultimately finishing with nine runs on eight hits while stranding just four runners.

The crucial surge came in the second inning, when USM broke the game open. Briana Solis delivered a two-run triple that brought home Jayden Hanna and Desarae Chavez, pushing the lead to 4-0 and keeping pressure on the Missouri Valley staff. Later in the inning, Camarena struck again with a two-run double to center, capping a four-run frame that stretched the advantage to 6-0 and gave the Spires all the support they would need to keep pushing forward on their home turf.

Camarena finished with two extra-base hits — a triple and a double — and three RBI to headline the Saint Mary offense. Chavez added a multi-hit performance of her own, tallying two hits, two RBI, and a stolen base, while McConnell contributed a hit and two RBI behind her sacrifice fly. The Spires also leveraged their speed on the base paths, swiping five bases in the game and keeping Missouri Valley's defense under relentless pressure.

USM starter Grace Rose turned in a quality performance in the circle. Rose worked 6.0 innings, allowing one earned run on five hits while striking out three. Efficient throughout, Rose limited traffic and benefitted from solid defense as Missouri Valley left five runners on base and managed just two runs on six hits for the game.

Missouri Valley finally posted a run in the fifth inning when Foster grounded out to shortstop to drive in Carvalho, cutting the deficit to 7-1, trimming the margin before Saint Mary answered back. The Spires quickly restored their seven-run lead in the bottom half of the sixth. Chavez grounded out to third with Rylie Wiseman scoring on the play, pushing the lead to 9-2 and effectively closing the door and securing a convincing first victory at home.

Game two played a similar tune. USM turned an early 0-1 deficit into a runaway win with a six-run second inning and a strong start from game two pitcher Desarae Chavez, rolling past Missouri Valley 9-1 in five innings.

Missouri Valley struck first in the top of the second when Castruita grounded out to shortstop to score Carvalho for a 1-0 lead. Saint Mary answered immediately in the bottom half, sending 10 batters to the plate and seizing control of the game behind gritty base running, timely hitting and a costly Missouri Valley error.

The Spires' breakthrough began with a single from Kylie Vandervoort, who later came around to score off the bat of Kate Robinette, aided by a throwing error from the catcher. Spellman followed with an RBI single to continue the inning's momentum, and Nora Burrell lifted a sacrifice fly to push the margin to 6-1 by the end of the frame. Saint Mary capitalized on Missouri Valley errors and made the most of their eight walks, continually pressuring the Vikings' defense.

USM kept the pressure on in the third inning with three more runs to effectively put the contest out of reach. Spellman doubled home another run, then Burrell lined an RBI double of her own. Rose added an RBI to make it 9-1, giving the Spires all the offense they would need. Saint Mary finished with nine runs on eight hits and four stolen bases to manufacture scoring opportunities throughout the afternoon.

Spellman delivered one of the day's top offensive performances, going 3-for-3 with two runs scored, a double and a stolen base. Vandervoort sparked the lineup from the top with a 2-for-2 effort, one run scored, two steals and a walk. McConnell also contributed in the middle of the order, going 1-for-1 with a double, two walks and a run scored as Saint Mary's lineup consistently flipped the order and forced Missouri Valley to work out of traffic.

Chavez set the tone in the circle, limiting Missouri Valley to four hits over four innings. The righty struck out three without issuing a walk, keeping the Vikings off the board after the second inning. Gracie Carlson entered in the fifth and closed out the run-rule victory, completing a staff effort that allowed only one run and five hits.

The Spire defense supported a pitching staff that stranded six Vikings on base. The 9-1, five-inning result gives Saint Mary a confidence boosting early-season home win and reinforces a game winning formula.

The Spires will hit the road this weekend as they travel to the St. Ambrose Invite, hosted in Davenport, Iowa in the Ambrose Dome. USM will play two on Saturday the 21^st at 8:30 a.m. versus Saint Ambrose University and their second at 1:00 p.m. against Aquinas College. On Sunday, USM will kick-off against #14 ranked Madonna University again at 8:30 a.m. and conclude their weekend against Aquinas one more time at 10:45 a.m. in Iowa.