On a chilly night in Fort Myers, the Ave Maria University baseball team caught fire, rallying from an early 4-0 deficit to top William Carey University 7-5 on Opening Night. The game was played at Terry Park in Fort Myers, and saw the visiting Crusaders score two runs in the opening frame and two more in the third.
 
The Gyrene rally began in the bottom of the third, as a pair of Crusader errors allowed RJ Warnock to score AMU's first run. In the fourth, an Andy Hernandez double and a single from Warnock pulled the Gyrenes to within one run, 4-3. The game was then tied in the fifth by Alec Thompson, who drilled a two-out RBI single to knot the score at four. The RBI single was part of a 3-for-3 day for the freshman, including two runs scored and a run batted in.
 
Despite surrendering a run in the top of the sixth, the Gyrenes had another answer. Against reliever and eventual losing pitcher Kyle Deckwa, Ave scored the tying run after a grounder from Matt Wiles was tossed into the outfield, allowing Hernandez to score and Wiles to advance to third. A ground ball to short by Warnock gave Ave Maria their first lead of the game.
 
The Gyrenes were able to hold the 6-5 lead until the bottom of the eighth, when Thompson scored on a Wiles single to supply the final 7-5 margin.
 
Starter Christian Dufresne worked six innings and picked up the win for the Gyrenes. Justin Bureau recorded a five-out save, coming on with two runners on base and retiring a pair of Crusaders to keep the lead intact.
 
The Gyrenes and Crusaders will continue their series tomorrow with a pair of games at Terry Park. The first pitch of the opener is set for noon.