Late Homer Lifts Saint Mary Past Avila

LEAVENWORTH, Kan. – It was a close game throughout, but a two-run home run in the seventh inning helped vault Saint Mary (8-9, 2-2 KCAC) in front of Avila (11-11, 2-3 KCAC) for good, helping the Spires to a 6-4 win in the first midweek matchup between these two local rivals.

The Spires are a very different team compared to what Avila has seen in recent seasons, but something that's apparently unchanged is their ability to eke out slim wins against the Eagles. The game featured a pair of ties and a pair of lead changes, and neither team ever led by more than two runs, but the Spires were simply able to record a few more clutch hits in the late stages of the game to pull out the win.

USM struck first with a run in the bottom of the first, but Avila revved its offense up with a strong third inning. With one out, Landon Vahle reached on an error and Bryce Culp walked, setting the table for Jack Virden to pop a double down the right field line and bring in Avila's first run of the game. Kurt Trotter then laced a single to right-center scoring two more, and giving the Eagles their first lead of the afternoon.

The Spires managed to tie the score with an RBI double from Jordan McClellan in the third and a single from Noah Parra in the sixth before Avila moved back in front in the seventh. Ricky Dober led off with a single before being replaced by courtesy runner Tristan Garbutt, and Austin Reams successful sacrificed him to second. Vahle then singled and stole second and Culp drew another walk, loading the bases for Virden, who hit a sacrifice fly to center to plate Garbutt and give the Eagles the lead. Trotter drew another walk to load the bases again, and Saint Mary starter Garrison Spoonts was able to avoid any more damage.

That escape job proved critical, because shortly afterward, with two outs in the home half of the seventh, McClellan went deep for a two-run shot, giving the Spires the lead for the first time since the first inning. One more insurance run came in on a sacrifice fly in the eighth, and the Eagles could not score off reliever Jacob Castaneda in the final two frames, giving Saint Mary the 6-4 win at home.

Up next, Avila baseball returns to The Z after their first road conference game to host York for a three-game series this weekend. Due to expected weather in the Kansas City area this weekend, the series between the Eagles and Panthers has been adjusted: the two teams will now play a doubleheader on Friday, March 10, and a single nine-inning game on Saturday, March 11, trying to work around the weather as much as possible. Action will begin at noon on both days; as always, you can watch all the action on the Avila Sports Network.