The Ave Maria University Gyrenes earned a series win in the opening games of the series, splitting a doubleheader Saturday at Terry Park in Fort Myers with William Carey University. The Gyrenes rallied for a
4-3 win in the opener, and dropped a rain-shortened nightcap, 8-2.
 
GAME ONE RECAP
 
An early pitching duel gave way to seven runs in the final three innings, as a four run fifth inning propelled the Gyrenes to a 4-3 victory over the Crusaders.
 
Through four innings of the seven inning contest, starters Austin Munn and Sam Richard battled, neither surrendering a run. Carey would score first, plating a run in the top of the fifth. Munn was relieved by Stephen Grove, who struck out back to back hitters to strand a Carey runner on second base.
 
The Gyrenes answered in the fifth inning, which started with a one-out walk to Andy Hernandez. Matt Wiles followed with a double down the right field line, putting runners on second and third. After a wild pitch scored Hernandez and tied the game, RJ Warnock drilled a triple to center field, giving Ave Maria a 2-1 lead. Warnock went 2-for-3 with a run scored and an RBI, the lone multi-hit performance for either team.
 
A Christian Sanchez single brought Warnock in, and another wild pitch allowed Sanchez to score, putting AMU up 4-1.
 
The deficit was trimmed in the sixth after a two-run homer by Nick Lowe, but the door was slammed in the seventh by Justin Bureau, who set down three straight hitters to earn his second save.
 
Grove picked up the win for the Gyrenes, working 1.2 innings of relief. Richard was charged with the loss for the Crusaders.
 
GAME TWO RECAP
 
Ave Maria dropped the final game of the series, as the Crusaders were able to score early and often in an 8-2 win. Carey scored once in the second, four times in the third, once in the fifth, and twice more in the sixth. The Crusader offense was led by Nick Lowe and James Land, who each drove in two runs. Land, the cleanup hitter, also scored twice.
 
The Gyrene offense was able to push across a pair of runs in the fifth and sixth innings. In the fifth, Jack Yvars began the frame with an infield single, and came around to score after Christian Sanchez was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. Sanchez was the lone Gyrene to reach base twice in the finale.
 
Rico Soto scored the other Gyrene run, reaching on an error and scoring on an RBI groundout from Yvars.
 
The game was called due to inclement weather following the sixth inning. Carey starter JD Little earned the complete game victory, and Andrew Steele was charged with the loss. Little struck out nine Gyrenes in his victory.
 
After the series win over the Crusaders, the Gyrenes are off until Friday, when they begin a four-game set with Reinhardt University. The Friday-Saturday-Sunday series will be played at City of Palms Park in Fort Myers.