AVE MARIA, Fla.- The Ave Maria University baseball team came up short in their Friday afternoon upset bid, falling 10-6 to the No. 13 Keiser University Seahawks at Bowie's Ballpark in Ave Maria. The Gyrenes left 12 runners on base in the conference contest, and were in the game until Keiser scored five runs in the top of the ninth.

Keiser jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning, thanks to four hits. The Seahawks put runners on the corners with one out on a Miguel Casanueva double and a single from Peter Crocitto. Marco Rivera and Carlos Lopez then hit back-to-back RBI singles to open the scoring for Keiser.

Ave Maria pulled back to level over the next three innings, scoring a run in the first and another in the third. In the first inning, Tully Allen scored without the aid of a hit. The junior was hit by pitch, took second and third on wild pitches, and scored from third when a runner was caught between first and second. Then, in the third inning, Rico Soto tied the game with his third home run of the season, a blast over the right center field fence.

The Seahawks reclaimed the lead in the top of the fourth inning with a lone run. Keiser put its first two hitters of the inning aboard with a walk and a single, with a bunt moving the runners to second and third. Following a groundout, Justin Lara gave Keiser the lead with an infield single. The Gyrenes avoided further damage when Soto picked Casanueva off of first with the bases loaded. Another run came across in the fifth inning when Rivera drove in his 40th run of the season with his sixth home run.

The teams traded runs in the seventh and eighth innings, keeping the Keiser lead at two runs. Ave Maria closed the deficit to one run in the bottom of the seventh on a pinch-hit RBI single from Matt Wiles. Wiles' single drove in Chris Wydler, who was running for Rico Soto, who had reached on an error. Keiser responded with a pinch-hit single of their own, provided by Karsten Sherman.

Keiser put the game away with five runs in the top of the ninth. Crocitto drove in two runs with a double, and Rivera, Carlos Pena, and CJ Fitzpatrick added one RBI each. Ave Maria scored three timesin the bottom of the ninth, with all three runs scoring on wild pitches.

AMU and Keiser's Sun Conference series continues on Saturday with a pair of nine inning games. The doubleheader at Bowie's Ballpark is scheduled for a noon start, with the second game following 30 minutes after the conclusion of the opener.