Baseball Sweeps Saturday Double Header With SoutheasternAve Maria, Fla.—The AMU baseball team picked up two big conference wins on Saturday afternoon as the swept their home double header with Southeastern University. Both games were tightly contested as the Gyrenes took game one by a score of 4-2 and game two 5-4.
GAME ONE RECAPAve Maria struck early in game one as the jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning. Kellen Creech (Jacksonville, Fla.) and Ryan Keegan (Estero, Fla.) each knocked in a run in the opening offensive flurry.
Stetson McCollin (Ft. Lauderdale) provided an answer for Southeastern in the second with an RBI single. The other Southeastern run came off the bat of first baseman, Willi Martin (Tampa, Fla.) who had a solo home run in the sixth.
Aside from the two runs, AMU freshman starter Christian Dufresne (Rockledge, Fla.) controlled the game. The southpaw gave his team a stellar performance, going 8.0 innings pitched, striking out nine and allowing only two runs on five hits.
In the bottom of the eight, senior Aaron Pigna (Miami, Fla.) added an ensurence run for the Gyrenes with a sac fly to center field. The 4-2 lead heading into the final frame would be enough for reliever Justin Bureau (Orange, Calif.) who nailed down his third save of the season.
GAME TWO RECAPGame three, the rubber match of the series, was yet another game highlighted by performances on the mound.
Senior Zack Quayle (Knoxville, Tenn.) gave on of his best starts of the season for Ave Maria. Quayle went 8.1 innings and allowed just a single earned run on five scattered hits and struck out seven batters.
The game remained a pitcher's duel between Quayle and Southeastern starter Clay Rideout (Lakeland, Fla.) until the later innings. In the sixth, trailing 2-1, the Gyrene offense came to life for four huge runs on five hits. Nick Sacchetta (Naples, Fla.) added his second RBI of the game in the inning and fellow senior Bobby Oliver (Naples, Fla.) had two clutch RBI's on a single to center field. Tucker Starkey (Mayville, Ky.) also had an RBI in the inning making the score 5-2 Gyrenes.
Things got interesting in the top of the ninth, as Justin Bureau entered the game to try to close it out with a runner on first. With two outs the AMU defense had two big miscues, allowing two runs to score and the tying run to reach second base. Kellen Creech would end the game with a great defensive play, reaching over the fence in foul territory to bring back a fly ball, induced by Bureau. The save was the second of the afternoon for the right hander and his fourth of the season as the Gryrenes picked up the 5-4 victory.
UP NEXT: The Gyrenes will be back in action Thursday, as they hit the road for an extended weekend trip. AMU will head to Winter Haven to take on DII Rollins on Thursday night before continuing up to Bluffton, South Carolina for a three game Sun Conference series with USC- Beaufort, Friday and Saturday. Stay up to day with all the latest Ave Maria baseball news and score by visiting the baseball page on avemariagyrenes.com.
By Sean Buchanan |
sean.buchanan@avemaria.edu
