The Ave Maria University baseball team earned its second conference victory of the 2016 season, cruising to a 12-5 victory over Florida Memorial University on Friday afternoon at Bowie's Ballpark in Ave Maria.
 
The Gyrenes never trailed, scoring five runs in the bottom of the second inning. The first six hitters of the frame reached, leading to the five runs. With runners on first and second with one out, Steven Valentine hit a single to left field and put AMU up 1-0. The next hitter, Max Nell, also singled to left for a run. After a walk to Matt Wiles and a strikeout, RJ Warnock drove in two runs with a single of his own. The scoring concluded on another RBI single, this one from Rico Soto.
 
Florida Memorial trimmed the lead to three runs in the top of the third. Daniel Morales and Gianfranco Garlobo each recorded singles, and were brought home with two outs on a double from Johnny Mendez.
 
The lead was re-extended to five runs in the bottom half of the inning. After the first two hitters of the inning were retired, Valentine clubbed a triple to right that got past a diving outfielder.
Valentine scored three pitches later when Nell elevated a ball over the right field fence for his first home run of the season. Nell's homer put the Gyrenes up 7-2. Valentine went 3-for-4 for the Gyrenes with three runs scored.
 
The lead remained five runs until the bottom of the sixth inning. A one-out walk by Warnock turned into Ave's eighth run when Soto drove in his second run of the game on a single.
 
A home run cut the Ave Maria lead to four runs in the top of the seventh, as Lance Mansfield left the park for his first home run, a two-run shot that also scored Kevin Gonzalez.
 
Ave Maria added their final four runs in the bottom of the seventh.
The first seven hitters reached in the inning, and four consecutive Gyrenes drove in a run each. Jack Yvars and Warnock each drove in a run with a single, Soto added his third RBI with a fielder's choice, and Conor Sullivan plated a run with a double.
 
The scoring ended in the top of the eighth with a run from the Lions.
Emilio Marrufo scored on an RBI groundout from Kevin Gonzalez after singling with one out in the frame.
 
AMU's Austin Munn earned his second victory of 2016 with a seven-inning effort, while Devin Hadley dropped to 0-4 for the Lions.
 
The series continues between the Gyrenes and the Lions Saturday morning in Ave Maria with a doubleheader, starting at 11 a.m.