LEAVENWORTH, Kan. -- The Bellevue University softball team dropped a doubleheader at the University of Saint Mary (Kan.) Sunday afternoon, falling 3-1 and 9-8 in the non-conference twinbill.
The Bruins fell to 4-7 on the season with the two losses.
USM improved to 5-6 overall.
The Bruins will head to Clermont, Fla., on March 4-9 for their annual spring trip to participate in THE Spring Games.
Despite out-hitting the Spires, 6-3, the Bruins had two costly errors as BU fell in the opener, 3-1.
Neither team scored until the bottom of the third when a suicide squeeze bunt by Audrey Spellman allowed Abigail Kudym to score from third, giving USM a 1-0 lead.
The Bruins tied the game at 1-1 in the top of the sixth inning on a sacrifice fly to center field by Alexa Sidel that scored Laila Fiscus.
A sacrifice fly to right field by Kudym, along with a BU fielding error on a bunt by Sadie McWilliams, gave the Spires a 3-1 advantage in the bottom of the sixth frame.
Katie Cunningham fell to 3-3 on the season after scattering three hits with three walks and four strikeouts in six innings in the circle. Cunningham did not allow an earned run in the loss.
Desarae Chavez picked up the win, giving up one run on six hits with two walks and four strikeouts in seven complete innings of work.
The Bruins battled back from a 7-0 deficit and fell just short, losing 9-8 for their fourth-straight loss of the season.
The Spires took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first on a groundout RBI by Jessica Strandlun that scored Alexis McDaniel from third.
USM made it 2-0 in the bottom of the second after Abby Dworak threw three wild pitches, allowing Allyson Dias to score.
The Spires increased the margin to 4-0 in the bottom of the third, scoring on an RBI double down the left-field line by Megan Brinkman and an RBI single to right-center field by Dias.
An RBU triple to center field by McDaniel, a run-scoring single to center field by Jessica Strandlund, and an RBI double to right-center field by Brinkman made it 7-0 in the bottom of the fourth frame.
The Bruins battled back in the top of the fifth inning, scoring six runs, highlighted by a three-run homer to center field by Sidel. BU also scored on an RBI single to left field by Fiscus, a bases-loaded fielder's choice RBI by Breanne McMurtry, and an RBI single to center field by Cunningham, slicing the lead to 7-6.
The Spires answered in the bottom of the sixth with an RBI single to center field by Spellman and an RBI double to left-center field by McDaniel, pushing the USM advantage to 9-6.
A two-run single to left field by Breanne McMurtry made it 9-8 in the top of the sixth inning.
The Bruins threatened in the top of the seventh as Sidel led off the inning with a single to center field and advanced to third later in the frame. Brinkman ended the threat by striking out Liana McMurtry as the Spires completed the sweep.
Dworak (1-1) suffered the loss, giving up two runs on one hit with one walk and one strikeout in one inning of work.
