Ave Maria, FL -- The Ave Maria University baseball team pulled off one of the most unbelievable, improbable comebacks in school history, scoring eight runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to stun the visiting College of St. Joseph, 9-8, Wednesday afternoon at Bowie's Ballpark in Ave Maria. Mason Dinesen capped the comeback with a monster three-run shot to left field, sparking a wild celebration on the field in Ave Maria.
 
Despite trailing 8-1 entering the bottom of the ninth, it was the Gyrenes that scored the first run of the game. In the bottom of the second, Justin Hartshorne led off the inning with a single. He advanced to second base on a groundout, and scored when Tully Allen singled with two outs.
 
St. Joseph scored a run in the third inning on two errors, which allowed Nick Rodriguez to round the bases. The Saints then put up a four-spot in the top of the third inning. Rodriguez, John Loschiavo, Colin McLeod, and Dillon Maxon drove in runs during the frame, which saw the Gyrenes face a 5-1 deficit.
 
Three more runs crossed the plate in the sixth inning, led by an RBI double from Connor Martin.
 
Trailing by seven runs, the comeback began the same way it ended- with Mason Dinesen. The freshman started the inning with a single, and Brody Howe followed with a double. Dinesen scored on a sacrifice fly from Hartshorne, and Howe crossed the plate on a wild pitch.
 
The final six runs of the inning all came with two outs. Allen doubled, and then scored on a Ryan Cook single. Rico Soto added a single of his own, which led to a Ryan Keegan two-run double that chased CSJ starter Nelson Barriero after 141 pitches. Andy Hernandez walked to put the tying run on base, leading to Dinesen's heroics.
 
Andrew Giddens got the final five outs of the game for the Gyrenes, and earned his first victory of the season. Jovan Henriquez gave up the walk-off homer, and was charged with the loss.
 
Soto reached base five times in the comeback victory, recording two hits, two walks, and a hit by pitch. Dinesen's walk-off home run was his third hit of the game. Eight of the nine Gyrenes scored in the game, including seven different players crossing the plate in the ninth.
 
Ave Maria's Spring Break homestand finishes this weekend, as the Gyrenes welcome the Titans of Indiana University-South Bend to Bowie's Ballpark. The four game series will consist of two doubleheaders, beginning on Friday. The Friday twinbill gets underway at 11:00 am, with the second game following 30 minutes after the conclusion of the opener.