Ave Maria, FL -- The Ave Maria University baseball team dealt the first loss of the season to the Webber International University Warriors, and earned their first Sun Conference victory of the season with a 2-0 victory at Bowie's Ballpark on Friday afternoon. A pair of timely hits and a brilliant pitching performance propelled the Gyrenes to their seventh win of the 2017 campaign.
 
Ave Maria struck first in the bottom of the third inning, and did so without hitting the ball out of the infield. Steven Valentine drew a leadoff walk, his first free pass of the season. A perfect bunt from Matt Wiles resulted in a single, and another bunt from Tully Allen moved runners to second and third. Justin Hartshorne drove in Valentine, as a high-hopper to short was deep enough to score the runner and allow Hartshorne to reach with an RBI infield single. Wiles would also threaten to score, but was stranded on third.
 
Ryan Keegan loudly added to the lead in the bottom of the fourth. The first baseman led off the inning, and drilled a 2-2 pitch well over the left field fence for his third home run of the season. Keegan's home run stretched the Gyrenes' lead to 2-0 after four innings.
 
The 2-0 lead held for Austin Munn, who allowed just two hits over 6.2 innings of work. Munn struck out five in his time on the mound, and faced just three hitters in four of his frames. Munn left the game with the bases loaded in the top of the seventh, the result of three walks. Austin Comesanas entered the game and forced Mark Martinez to pop out to second, ending the threat and keeping AMU's 2-0 lead intact. Ave Maria also loaded the bases in the bottom of the seventh, but could not add to the two-run advantage.
 
Justin Bureau came on in the ninth after a scoreless eighth from Comesanas, keyed by an inning-ending double play ball started by Ryan Cook, who played a stellar game at shortstop. It took only six pitches for Bureau to earn his first save of the season, retiring the 3-4-5 hitters in the Webber order with ease.
 
Seven Gyrenes had a hit in the victory, led by a two-hit effort from Rico Soto. Valentine reached base in each of his four plate appearances, touching first on a single, a pair of walks, and an error. Munn moved to 3-0 on the season, while Webber's Brady Mintell was tagged with a tough-luck loss.
 
The Sun Conference series continues Saturday at Bowie's Ballpark, as Ave Maria and Webber International engage in doubleheader action. A split in the twinbill would give Ave Maria the series win over the previously undefeated Warriors.The first pitch of the opener is scheduled for 11 a.m., with the finale following 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first game.