Davenport, Iowa—

Game One
Behind a dominant two-way performance from Grace Rose and a clean day defensively, the University of Saint Mary Spires opened play on day one and game one at the St. Ambrose Dome with a 5-1 win over St. Ambrose (Iowa) on Saturday morning.

Rose delivered the key blows at the plate and in the circle. The right-hander earned the win with 6.0 innings of one-run ball, allowing eight hits while striking out two. Offensively, Rose went 3-for-4 with a double, a solo home run, two runs scored and two RBIs, factoring directly into three of Saint Mary's five runs.

Saint Mary seized control in the top of the second inning with a manufactured two-run frame. Rose started the rally with a single, and Brooke Gerling followed with a double to put two runners in scoring position. Kylie Vandervoort then pushed home the first run with an RBI sacrifice bunt, and Briana Solis added an RBI ground out to give the Spires a 2-0 lead. St. Ambrose cut the deficit in half in the bottom of the inning when Martyn doubled to center, driving in Schult for the Bees' only run of the game.

Rose answered again in the fourth. After a pinch-runner reached scoring position, Rose ripped a double to right field to extend the USM lead to 3-1. The Spires continued to add on in the late innings, beginning with Rose's solo home run in the top of the sixth that pushed the margin to 4-1 and capped her three-hit day.

The Spires finished the scoring in the seventh. Analesa Gonzales came around on a sacrifice fly from Kate Robinette to make it 5-1, giving the Spires insurance heading into the final half-inning. Reliever Desarae Chavez, who also went 2-for-3 with a double at the plate, worked the final inning in the circle to close out the win.

The Spires were efficient offensively, turning six hits into five runs while drawing two walks and striking out just once. They also executed well in situational spots with a sacrifice bunt and a sacrifice fly leading directly to three runs. Defensively, Saint Mary was spotless, committing no errors and stranding nine St. Ambrose base runners over seven innings.

St. Ambrose matched Saint Mary with eight hits but could not break through after the second inning. The Bees finished with two doubles and two stolen bases but were limited to one earned run as the Spires' pitching and defense controlled the game throughout.

Game Two 
Game two saw a crucial four-run fourth inning prove decisive as USM dropped an 8-0 decision to Aquinas (MI) in seven innings Saturday afternoon to conclude day one of the St. Ambrose Dome. The Spires were limited to three hits and stranded seven runners while Aquinas used timely hitting and a strong start in the circle to pull away.

Aquinas broke a scoreless tie in the top of the second when Asai singled to left field to bring home Buikema for a 1-0 lead. Saint Mary's pitching and defense held the Saints to just that single run through three innings, keeping the Spires within striking distance despite offensive struggles against Aquinas starter Bosgraaf.

The turning point came in the fourth. Aquinas strung together a series of run-scoring swings, starting with an RBI single from Asai to score Fisher. Aquinas's Hinkle followed with a run-scoring single that brought in Cuthbert, and Carlson capped the surge with a two-RBI single. The four-run frame stretched the deficit to 5-0 and forced the Spires to unfortunately play from behind the rest of the way.

Saint Mary used three pitchers — Gracie Carlson, Brooklyn LaFon and Bianca Venegas — who combined to work six innings, allowing 10 hits and eight runs while issuing five walks. Despite the final line, the Spires limited extra-base damage and did not commit an error, but Aquinas capitalized on nearly every run-scoring chance with runners on base.

Day two of the tournament kicks off tomorrow morning at 8:30 a.m. when USM faces off against the No. 14 Madonna University (Mich.) Crusaders and in game two the Spires will get a rematch against Aquinas at 10:45 a.m. in the final game of the St. Ambrose Dome Tournament.