Baseball Splits Series With Missouri Valley

Leavenworth, Kan.- The University of Saint Mary Baseball team concluded their opening season series against Missouri Valley on Saturday, resulting in a 3-1 and 8-7 win. Caleb McClellan had a walk-off single to secure the win in game two. The Spires are now 2-2 overall on the year. 

Game One

Andrew Richardson got the start in game one, giving Saint Mary four solid innings, giving up just one run on one hit with two strikeouts. The lone run Richardson gave up was in the top of the first after a groundout. Saint Mary tied it up in the bottom of the third when Eli Prine hit a sacrifice to right field. 

After Richardson, Andres Zarate threw two shutdown innings, allowing the Spires to extend their lead. Two more sacrifice flyouts in the bottom of the fifth from Jack Knutson and Prine made it a 3-1 game in favor of Saint Mary. Jacob Castaneda finished things on the mound for the Spires and earned his first save of the year. 

Game 2

On the hill to start the series' final game was Nicholas Salgado, who went three and a third, giving up four runs on five hits. Saint Mary struck first in the bottom of the third, putting up four runs on two hits, including a two-run double from Daniel Martinez. However, the Vikings responded with a four-run inning of their own in the top half of the fourth inning. Bryce Turner restored the Spire lead with a bases-loaded single up the middle that drove in Prine and McClellan. 

Missouri Valley kept the game alive after their own two-run single in the top of the seventh. Saint Mary loaded the bases in the bottom of the seventh after an error by the Vikings; Preston Gibson and Knutson got hit by pitches to load the bases with one out. McClellan finished the game with a single to right center for the 8-7 win. 

Up Next

The Spires will host William Penn and Dordt for a three-team series starting at 10 a.m. on Friday in Leavenworth, Kansas.