Niles and Brandywine opened up the Matt Kurtis Invitational on Saturday morning with the traditional releasing of blue and yellow balloons to represent the two schools.

Moments later, the two teams went to war with the Vikings coming away with a 6-2 victory. Niles won the tournament after defeating Gobles 8-0 in the second game.

It was the fourth consecutive year that the Vikings have won the tournament.

Both teams got off to a quick start as the Vikings struck for three runs in the top half of the first inning, while the Bobcats scored twice in the bottom half of the frame.

Niles senior Charissa Spear staked the Vikings to a 1-0 with the first of her two solo home runs to lead-off the game.

Niles would add another two runs on back-to-back RBI singles by Hannah Porterfield and Molly VanDeKeere.

Brandywine would respond with a pair of runs of its own on a two-run home run by Mikayla Kemp.

The Bobcats had a chance to knot the score, but had a runner thrown out at the plate by Niles shortstop Tala Gentry.

After two scoreless innings, the Vikings extended their advantage to two runs as senior Sophie Nielsen singled home a run in the fourth inning.

Two more scoreless innings passed and then Niles struck again, this time for a pair of runs in the top of the seventh.

Spear led off the inning with a solo home run and Gentry, who had singled, came around to score on an single by Porterfield.

VanDeKeere earned the victory as she tossed a four-hitter with nine strikeouts.

Kemp took the loss for the Bobcats. She allowed six runs on 10 hits with four strikeouts.

In the second game, Niles again got off to a fast start as it scored four times in the first inning.

VanDeKeere helped her own cause with a three-run double, while Olivia Jordan singled home the final run of the inning.

The Vikings added another run in the third inning on a back-to-back doubles by Nielsen and Gentry.

The final two runs of the contest were scored in the fourth inning as Niles got a single by Brooke Wilson, a double by Gentry, an RBI single by Sara Cramer and an RBI double by Porterfield.

VanDeKeere was the winning pitcher for the Vikings.

Niles 300 100 2 6 10 3

Brandywine 200 000 0 – 2 4 2

Molly VanDeKeere (W) and Hannah Porterfield

Mikayla Kemp (L) and Rachael Ort

HR: Charissa Spear (N) 2, Kemp (BW)