TAMPA, Fla. --- The Ave Maria softball team split their two games on Friday night on the opening day of the NAIA Preview Weekend in Tampa, Fla. The Lady Gyrenes fell to Martin Methodist College 9-4 in game one before defeating Cumberland University 14-11 in nine innings in game two.
 
AMU moves to 6-2 after today's results. The Blue and Green will take on Middle Georgia College tomorrow at 10 a.m. before their rematch with Martin Methodist at 12:30 p.m.
 
In game one, Martin Methodist jumped out to an early lead with three runs in the top of the first. The Lady Gyrenes responded with two runs in the bottom half of the inning, the first coming on an error by the Redhawks after a hit by Alyssa Colding.
 
After Martin Methodist added a run in the top of the second, the Blue and Green plated two runs in the bottom of the second to tie the game at four. Both runs came off the bat of Sadie Mosher as she ripped a double to center field to bring in Miranda Dessecker and Danielle Garcia.
 
The Redhawks went on to score three in the fourth, one in the sixth and one in the seventh to take the game 9-4.
 
Marinna Shadley, Mosher, Garcia, and Dessecker each recorded two hits in the game. Four different Lady Gyrenes scored a run.
 
Mosher took the loss in game one, pitching five innings and allowing seven runs, four earned, on 10 hits and no walks. She struck out four.
 
In game two, Ave Maria fell behind 3-0 after two before scoring a run in the top of the third on a Shadley RBI single to bring in Jessica Chavez.
 
Cumberland put a run on the board in the bottom of the third and two more on the board in the bottom of the fourth to take a 6-1 advantage on the Lady Gyrenes.
 
Trailing 6-1, Ave Maria scored five runs in the top of the sixth to tie the game at six. Brittany Blocker got the scoring started with a double up the middle to plate Chavez. After a passed ball allowed Blocker to score, Emily Blackmore had an RBI groundout for the Lady Gyrene's third run of the inning. A couple minutes later, Cresencia del Pino scored on a wild pitch to tie the game at six.
 
In the top of the eighth, Genevieve Twigg hit a two-RBI double to give AMU an 8-6 advantage. Cumberland rallied to tie the game at eight in the bottom half of the inning.
 
In the top of the ninth, Michella Davis doubled to bring in Deanna Stirtzinger before a bases-clearing double by Shadley brought in three Lady Gyrene runners. A few minutes later, Twigg reached on an error to bring in a run and Marissa Conde was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to bring in a run.
 
Cumberland rallied to score three in the bottom half of the ninth but the Lady Gyrenes were able to hold on for the win.
 
Mosher got the win, pitching four innings of relief and allowing three earned runs.