Ave Maria, FL -- The Ave Maria University baseball team could not complete a series victory over Webber International University on Saturday afternoon, dropping both games of a doubleheader at Bowie's Ballpark to the Warriors, 14-3 and 10-4. The sweep allowed Webber to take two of three in the Sun Conference series from the Gyrenes.
Three major innings propelled Webber to victory in the opener, as a 13-run stretch over three innings gave the Warriors a 14-3 win in a game that was shortened due to NAIA mercy rule.
For the second game in a row, it was the Gyrenes that drew first blood, this time coming in the bottom of the first. Ryan Cook blooped a double into left field with one out, and Rico Soto followed with a high hopper that cleared the third baseman and allowed Cook to score.
Soto's RBI single gave Ave Maria a 1-0 lead after the opening frame.
With two outs in the third inning, Webber rallied for five runs to claim a four-run advantage. Cristian Rivera singled a 3-2 pitch into right field, and Manny Rodriguez followed suit to put runners on first and third. A Matt Saliba grounder was misplayed at third, scoring Rivera and extending the inning. Sjaghbar Martis then made the Gyrenes pay with a two-run double to deep center field, plating both Rodriguez and Saliba. Martis scored on a Marcus Begg single, and Matt Piatt completed the damage with an RBI double to left.
Webber put the game out of reach in the top of the fourth inning with four more runs. Napo Ballestero drilled a one-out home run, Martis recorded his third RBI with a groundout, and Marcus Begg added two more with a single to give Webber a 9-1 lead.
Ave's second run of the game came on one swing of the bat, as Andy Hernandez blasted a solo home run, his second of the year, in the bottom of the fourth.
The scoring continued for the Warriors in the top of the fifth, as the visitors added another four-spot. A pair of errors was the catalyst for Webber, who led 13-2 after five frames.
Ave Maria and Webber traded runs in the sixth inning. Ballestero drove in the run for the Warriors, hitting a sacrifice fly to right field that scored Connor Clayton. The Gyrenes finished the scoring on an RBI groundout from Ryan Keegan. Keegan's grounder scored Cook, who had started the frame with a single. Cook, Soto, and Hernandez each had two hits in the losing effort for the Gyrenes.
Webber then won the rubber match with another scoring surge, topping the Gyrenes in the nightcap, 10-4.
Yet again, the Gyrenes put the first run of the game on the board, doing it again in the bottom of the first. Justin Hartshorne led off with a single, and proceeded to steal second and move to third on a wild pitch. He scored when Ryan Keegan lined a single into right with two strikes and two outs in the frame. Keegan was caught trying to stretch his hit into a double, but Ave Maria still had a 1-0 lead.
Webber quickly took the lead from Ave in the top of the second with two runs. The damage came with two outs, when Daniel Timmons singled and Napo Ballestero drew a walk. The Warriors then went up 2-1 when Cristian Rivera lined a double into the gap, scoring both runners.
Ave Maria responded with a run of their own, tying the game at 2. Andy Hernandez clubbed a leadoff double, and the Gyrenes manufactured the run from there. Mason Dinesen grounded out to second to get Hernandez to third, and a Matt Wiles sacrifice fly brought the run home.
The Warriors took the lead for good with three runs in the top of the third, and extended the lead with two more in the fourth. RBI singles from Sjaghbar Martis and Marcus Begg, as well as a passed ball, supplied the scoring in the third, while an error and a passed ball extended the lead to five runs in the fourth inning.
Wiles drove in his second run in the bottom of the fourth, pulling the Gyrenes within four runs. Keegan led off the frame with a single, and advanced to second on a Hernandez groundout. Back-to-back singles from Mason Dinesen and Wiles cut the Webber lead to 7-3 after four innings.
Webber scored a run each in the sixth and seventh innings, as well.
Matt Saliba scored on a wild pitch in the sixth, and a sacrifice fly from Martis brought in Manny Rodriguez in the seventh.
The Gyrenes closed the scoring with a run in the bottom of the seventh. Ryan Cook walked with one out, and came around to score on a pair of Warrior errors.
Keegan was Ave Maria's offensive leader in game two, recording three hits to go with his RBI and run scored. Starter Juan Terron was the winning pitcher for Webber, while Deaven Phillips took the loss for the Gyrenes.
Ave Maria returns to action in Miami on Tuesday, playing Barry University on the road for the second time this season. The Gyrenes'
next conference series begins Friday afternoon in West Palm Beach against Keiser University.
