Leavenworth, Kan.—

Game One:

The Spires struggled behind an aggressive KWU squad who struck early and often, dropping game one of day two against the Coyotes 0-6 in Leavenworth.

KWU did most of their damage in the first five innings, pushing across two runs in the top of the first and adding single runs in the second and third to seize control. A two-run fifth inning pushed the margin to 6-0, and that proved to be enough support for Kansas Wesleyan starter Wright, who kept the Spires' offense quiet throughout his outing.

Wright worked eight scoreless innings, limiting Saint Mary to three hits while striking out 11 and walking two. The Spire batters struck out 12 times in the game and left six runners on base, unable to string together the timely hits needed to climb back into the conference match up against the undefeated Coyotes.

Kansas Wesleyan grabbed immediate momentum in the top of the first. Olson opened the scoring with a single, followed by a double from Allen to put pressure on the Spires' defense. Garfield delivered an RBI single to bring in the first run, and Ruvalcaba added a sacrifice fly to make it 2-0. The Coyotes tacked on another run in the second when Arndt singled and later came around to score on a fielder's choice play, then pushed the lead to 4-0 in the third as Allen walked, Garfield singled and stole second, and Ruvalcaba grounded out to second with another run-scoring at-bat.

Unfortunately, in the fifth, Kansas Wesleyan put the game fully out of reach. Garfield singled and advanced on a wild pitch before two walks loaded the bases. Dale drew a bases-loaded walk to force in a run, and Arndt followed with a sacrifice fly to bring home another, stretching the advantage to 6-0.

The Spires' pitching staff was forced to work around constant traffic, allowing 12 hits and six walks over nine innings while still keeping Kansas Wesleyan off the board in the later frames.

Offensively, Saint Mary managed three hits against Wright and Gwin, two of the three coming from Brady Heinen and Maverick Rockers added the third, but Kansas Wesleyan's 12-strikeout effort on the mound kept the Spires from mounting a sustained rally. Defensively, Saint Mary played clean baseball with no errors, but the early deficit proved too much to overcome.
 
Game Two:

The final 7-innings of the three-game series saw Saint Mary receiving a strong start on the mound, but Kansas Wesleyan capitalized on a decisive third inning to hand the Spires a 1-3 loss on Saturday afternoon.

After Saint Mary struck first in the bottom of the second from a Spencer Baehman single to right field, scoring Ian Maldonado who was on base from an early walk. Kansas Wesleyan answered with two runs in the top of the third on a two-RBI single from Allen and never relinquished the advantage. The Coyotes immediately responded in the third. Allen, who had already doubled in the first, came through again with a single credited for two RBIs, plating Hawthrone and Riggs to push the visitors in front 2-1.

The fourth and fifth inning would be silent from both teams with 0 runs, 0 hits, and 0 runners left on base. The Coyotes added an insurance run in the sixth on an RBI double by Finocchario that scored Hawthrone, extending the deficit to 3-1 and giving the three-man KWU pitching effort breathing room heading into the late innings.

On the mound, Bryce Turner gave the Spires a quality start. The right-hander worked 5 2/3 innings, striking out seven. Saint Mary's staff consisting of Turner and Gabe Olguin finished with eight strikeouts overall and did not allow an earned run after the sixth inning, keeping the Spires within striking distance throughout.

USM baseball will stay home for a midweek face-off against KCAC opponent Avila University on Wednesday, March 4^th for a single-game against the Eagles with the first pitch set for 2:00 p.m.