The Ave Maria University baseball team earned a series victory over the Cougars of Spring Arbor University, shutting out the opposition in back-to-back games. AMU claimed wins of 6-0 and 2-0 Saturday afternoon at Bowie's Ballpark in Ave Maria.
 
GAME ONE RECAP:
The Gyrenes earned their eighth win of the 2016 season behind a dominant pitching performance from Austin Munn and a pair of fifth inning home runs, claiming a 6-0 victory over Spring Arbor.
 
Munn was brilliant for the Gyrenes on the mound, recording a complete game, three-hit shutout. In his seven innings, Munn struck out ten Cougar hitters, including one in every inning but the seventh. His efforts were awarded with his first win of 2016, moving his record to 1-1.
 
Munn's greatest challenge came in the third, when Conner Lengerich bashed a one-out triple into the right-centerfield gap. The righty would strand Lengerich on third with a strikeout and an inning-ending grounder to short.
 
The Lafayette, Indiana native got all the run support he would need in the third inning, when the Gyrenes scored the first run of the game to take a 1-0 lead. After a strikeout began the inning, Steven Valentine walked, and stole second base on a pickoff attempt by Spring Arbor starter and losing pitcher Mitchel Patterson. He then moved to third base on an infield single from Matt Wiles with two outs. RJ Warnock then brought the run to the plate, as a groundball was misplayed by the Cougars, putting the Gyrenes ahead for the first time in the series.
 
AMU broke the game open in the bottom of the fifth, scoring five runs on a pair of home runs. After a leadoff groundout, singles by Nick Wydler and Wiles, followed by a walk to Warnock loaded the bases with one out. Conor Sullivan then stepped to the plate, and drilled a grand slam over the right field wall for his second homer of the year. The scoring did not conclude with Sullivan, as Ryan Keegan added a solo shot of his own later in the frame.
 
Keegan was Ave Maria's offensive leader on the day, hitting a triple to go with his home run. Wiles added two hits, and Valentine reached twice and stole two bases.
 
GAME TWO RECAP:
Another spectacular pitching performance propelled the Gyrenes to the series victory, as three Ave Maria pitchers combined on a three-hit shutout in a 2-0 victory over the Cougars.
 
Picking up the victory was Andrew Steele, who worked five innings with six strikeouts. Andrew Giddens then retired three hitters in the eighth with a pair of strikeouts, and Justin Bureau earned his third save with a 1-2-3 seventh inning. The three pitchers worked out of trouble all game long, stranding ten runners on base, including eight runners in scoring position.
 
Dating back to the third inning of Friday's game, Gyrene pitching held Spring Arbor hitters scoreless for 21 consective innings. Ave Maria pitchers combined for 20 strikeouts in the 14 innings of action on Saturday.
 
The offense for the Gyrenes was supplied in the third inning. Matt Wiles and RJ Warnock drew back-to-back one out walks. After a lineout, Rico Soto clubbed a triple into the left center field gap, scoring the game's only two runs. Soto would record a 2-for-3 day, which included a single in his next at-bat.
 
Ryan Keegan also reached twice for AMU, walking and singling with a stolen base.
 
After winning the series with Spring Arbor, Ave Maria will play a neutral site doubleheader with another opponent from Michigan in Cornerstone University. That twin bill, to be played at Heart of Florida Field on the Webber International University campus, will begin at 11 a.m.