Softball Falls in Doubleheader Games at St. Mary

Leavenworth, Kan., (Feb. 18, 2026)- The Missouri Valley College softball team traveled to Leavenworth, Kan., for a Tuesday afternoon non-conference doubleheader.  The Vikings fell in both games.

Missouri Valley started game one with a leadoff single from Senior Centerfielder Jesykah Foster (Garden City, Kan.), and Sophomore Second Baseman Allison Loucas (Twin Lakes, Wisc.) walked later in the at-bat, but the Vikings were not able to bring either of those baserunners home in the top of the first inning.  St. Mary followed with two runs in the bottom of the first inning to move in front, 2-0.  After a scoreless top of the second inning, the Spires added to their advantage, scoring four runs on three hits, then tacked on another run in the bottom of the third to make it a 7-0 score.  Missouri Valley got one of those runs back in the top of the fifth, as Freshman Designated Player Janiyah Martin (Oklahoma City, Okla.) opened the at-bat with a walk, followed by a single from Sophomore Third Baseman Keira Carvalho (Vista, Calif.).  Senior Shortstop Aniah Castruita (South El Monte, Calif.) brought home Martin with a grounder, and MVC trailed, 7-1.  St. Mary pushed its lead out to 8-1 with one run in the bottom half of the fifth.  The Vikings used a single from Junior Catcher Camryn Dilla (West Des Moines, Iowa), who then stole second base, to start off the top of the sixth.  Dilla scored on a single from Loucas to cut the deficit down to 8-2.  The Spires followed with one more run in the bottom half of the inning, and Missouri Valley went down in order in the top of the seventh.  The Vikings fell by a final score of 9-2.

Loucas had two hits and one RBI, while Dilla added one hit and one run scored.  Castruita had one hit and one RBI.  Junior Pitcher Chloe Shuff (Cypress, Calif.) went 4.2 innings in relief, giving up five hits and three earned runs to go with four strikeouts.

Game two began with Missouri Valley threatening in the top of the first inning, as Loucas walked and Casjens singled, all with one out.  However, the pair were left stranded to end the at-bat and keep the game scoreless.  Sophomore Pitcher Andreina Buonafina (Guatemala) worked around a single and two walks in the bottom of the first inning, ending the St. Mary at-bat with a strikeout.  The Vikings produced again from the plate in the top of the second inning.  Carvalho walked and Sophomore First Baseman Addison Bartlett (Lawson, Mo.) singled, then stole second base.  Castruita drove home Carvalho with a grounder, and MVC went in front, 1-0.  The Spires responded in the bottom half of the inning, putting together a long rally.  St. Mary drove home six runs on three hits and three Viking errors to move ahead, 6-1.  The bottom of the third featured another three runs for USM, as the gap grew to 9-1.  Missouri Valley tried to rally in the top of the fourth, as Senior Leftfielder Taya Brickner (Fort Collins, Colo.) and Carvalho both singled, but the two were left on-base.  The Vikings were unable to cut into their deficit in the top of the fifth, and fell by a final score of 9-1.

Carvalho had one hit and one run scored, while Foster, Casjens, Brickner and First Baseman Addison Bartlett each added one hit.

Missouri Valley moves to 0-6 on the season, while St. Mary improves to 2-2.  

Up next, the Viking softball team is scheduled to play a doubleheader at William Baptist (Ark.), Feb. 27.

Game 1 Box Score-Click Here

Game 2 Box Score-Click Here

About Missouri Valley College

Known for its dynamic, richly diverse, and friendly educational environment, Missouri Valley College offers many opportunities to grow in mind, body, and spirit. Grounded in the liberal arts, undergraduate studies empower students to master interdisciplinary skills needed to succeed in a knowledge-based global society. MVC offers over 30 academic programs, study abroad program, extracurricular activities, and a wide variety of sports. The most popular majors include education and business, criminal justice and exercise science. Above all, Valley is committed to student success. For more information, call (660) 831-4000 or visit www.moval.edu.