Surprise, Ariz. — The Spirit split a doubleheader with Nelson (AZ), dominating game one before falling short in a hard-fought battle in game two.

Game 1 — OUAZ 8, Nelson (AZ) 0

Game one was all Spirit from the start as OUAZ rolled to an 8-0 run-rule victory. The scoring began in the first inning when Ava Seguin singled to bring in Elysa Moreno for the early lead. The Spirit broke things wide open in the second inning with a huge offensive surge. Savannah Sutton doubled in a run, and moments later Kinzy Creighton crushed a grand slam to put OUAZ firmly in control at 6-0.

OUAZ added two more runs in the third inning when MariaFernanda Lerma came through with a clutch two-RBI double, scoring Kinzy Creighton and Nayeli Inzunza. In the circle, Alexis Ayersman was dominant once again, tossing a complete game shutout while allowing just three hits and striking out four to secure the win.

Game 2 — OUAZ 6, Nelson (AZ) 8

Game two told a different story as the Spirit battled but came up short in a 6-8 loss. OUAZ jumped out early in the first inning with Brianna Humphries driving in Elysa Moreno, followed by an RBI groundout from Alexis Jimenez to make it 2-0.

Nelson responded and eventually took the lead, but the Spirit kept fighting. In the fourth inning, Nayeli Inzunza delivered an RBI single to score Moreno, and Humphries later came around to score on an error to give OUAZ a 4-3 advantage. After Nelson surged ahead with a big sixth inning, Humphries provided a spark once again with a two-run home run in the bottom half, bringing the Spirit within one.

Despite the late push, OUAZ couldn't complete the comeback as Nelson added an insurance run in the seventh and held on for the win. The Spirit showed resilience throughout, tallying 12 hits on the game, but couldn't make the comeback in the end.

Up Next

The Spirit will have a chance to bounce back on Friday, April 10th with a doubleheader starting at 2:00 PM (MST) against Embry-Riddle.