Leavenworth, Kan.—
 
Game One:

The opening frames of the day were a continuation from April 1^st after lightning suspended play the first time these two squads went at it. The Spires did their damage early, starting this afternoon up 3-1 in the top of the 4^th inning. USM added just enough late to survive Baker's seventh-inning push in a 5-4 victory in Leavenworth.

(4/1) The Spires opened the scoring in the second. Sean Goings lifted a sacrifice fly that brought home Tim Wood for a 1-0 lead, and Maverick Rockers followed with a ground-rule double down the right-field line that drove in two more runs and pushed the advantage to 3-0. Rockers finished with three RBIs on one hit in three at-bats, adding another sacrifice fly later in the game.

Baker chipped away with single runs in the third and fourth innings, trimming the margin to 3-2, but Saint Mary kept the Wildcats from breaking through for a bigger inning. Baker finished with five hits and drew seven walks, yet the Spires limited some of the damage and took a three-run cushion into the bottom of the seventh.

That extra breathing room came in the top of the final inning. John Caime doubled to right field, then later scored on a wild pitch as the Spires extended the lead. Rockers added a sacrifice fly in the inning, giving the Spires a 5-2 advantage. Caime scored twice, doubled once and walked in a productive afternoon from the top of the lineup. As a team, Saint Mary scored five runs on four hits, collected three doubles and played error-free baseball.

Baker made the finish tense in the bottom half of the sevent. Miller launched a solo home run to cut the deficit to 5-3. Later in the inning, Truman doubled and eventually scored on Jenkins' sacrifice fly, making it a one-run game. Truman had two hits and a walk for Baker, but the Wildcats could not produce the tying run before the final out.

The Spires left only three runners on base and made the most of limited opportunities, using situational hitting to secure the victory. Baker starter Urish worked four innings and allowed two hits and two earned runs while striking out two. In the end, the Spires early work on April 1^st in the second-inning burst and Rockers' run production were enough to carry the Spires through Baker's late rally.

Game Two:

In a fairy tale ending (almost) too good to be true, senior Ben Brandt closed out his home field campaign in dramatic fashion in game two, launching a walk-off grand slam to dead center with two outs in the bottom of the seventh to give his team a 6-3 victory and series sweep over the Baker Wildcats. A memorable final home outing for the Overland Park native.

The beauty of a swing capped a four-run seventh inning for the Spires, who trailed 3-2 after Baker pushed across a run in the top half of the final inning on Karlin's RBI single. Brandt finished 2 for 3 with four RBIs and a run scored.

The Wildcats would strike first in game two in the second inning when Jenkins hit a solo home run for a 1-0 lead. Saint Mary answered in the fourth, tying the game when Keylan Overton brought home Ian Maldonado with an RBI groundout. The Wildcats moved back in front in the sixth on Armstrong's solo homer to left, but the Spires responded again in the bottom half when Daxton Macias connected on a solo shot of his own to even the score at 2-2.

The Spire offense produced nine hits and showed patience throughout, drawing six walks against the Baker pitching staff. Lucas Barta added a two-hit day while Macias supplied the game-tying home run before Brandt delivered the final blow. The Spires scored once in the fourth, once in the sixth and then broke through for four runs in the seventh.

On the mound, USM's staff worked through seven innings and limited Baker to six hits and three earned runs. Baker also drew four walks and hit two home runs, but the Spires stayed within striking distance until the final inning. Baker pitchers allowed six runs on nine hits over 6 2/3 innings.

The Spires will bring this momentum with them on the road this weekend as they begin a three-game series against KCAC opponent the Friends University Falcons. Game one is slated for Friday, April 17^th at 4:00 p.m. with games two and three set to begin Saturday, April 18^th at noon in Wichita.