LAKE WALES, Fla.- The Ave Maria University softball team earned a split with the No. 24 team in the nation on Saturday, winning the back end of the doubleheader with the Warner University Royals. Ave Maria lost a heartbreaker in the opener, 7-6, but battled back for a 5-2 victory in the nightcap.

The Gyrenes did not trail until the final pitch of the game in the opener, falling 7-6 on a walk-off home run from the Royals. 

Ave Maria jumped out to a 3-0 lead after a three-spot in the top of the third inning. Destinee Elmore led off the inning with a single, and moved to third base on an error off the bat of Kalie Romig. Deanna Stirtzinger drove in Elmore with a sacrifice fly, and Michella Davis followed with an RBI single. A double from Emma Thompson drove in the third run of the inning.

Warner got a run back in the bottom of the third, as an RBI single from Chantal Crockett drove in Kasey Heslin, who had started the inning with a single of her own.

AMU stretched their lead to 5-1 in the next two innings, scoring once each in the fourth and fifth innings. In the fourth, the Gyrenes manufactured a run, as a sacrifice fly from Stirtzinger drove in Jessica Chavez. Genevieve Twigg then began the fifth inning with a home run, increasing Ave Maria's lead to four runs. 

The Royals tied the game with four runs in the bottom of the fifth. A passed ball allowed the first run of the inning to score, and another run crossed the plate on a single from Kayla Bruno. Warner then tied the game on a two-run single from Madison Taylor.

In the top of the seventh inning, Ave Maria initially took the lead before Warner's walk-off win. An error allowed AMU to take the lead off the bat of Abby Love, which plated Thompson. In the bottom half, Brittany Winget won the game with a two-run homer, which also drove in Megan Hammett.

Ave bounced back in the second game with a wire-to-wire victory of 5-2 over the Royals, which moved both teams to 3-1 in conference play.

For the second game in a row, it was Ave Maria that struck first, this time in the top of the first. AMU put runners on second and third with a walk, a hit batsmen, and a passed ball. Thompson drove in Romig with a bunt, putting the Gyrenes up 1-0.

Warner and Ave Maria traded runs in the fourth inning. The top half of the inning saw the Gyrenes take a 2-0 lead on an RBI single from Brooke Pierron, who was also the game's winning pitcher. The Royals responded with a RBI double by Kayla Bruno, who was caught stealing at third base for the second out of the inning.

An insurance run crossed the plate for the Gyrenes in the top of the fifth. Romig led off the inning with a single, and stole second base. A sacrifice bunt moved her to third, and a Thompson double increased Ave Maria's lead to 3-1.

The Gyrenes put the game away with two runs in the top of the seventh. Love and Pierron provided RBI singles, with Pierron's coming with two outs. Warner did get a run back in the bottom half, but AMU was able to wrap up a 5-2 win.

After an off day on Sunday, the Gyrenes return to Clermont on Monday for a doubleheader against the University of Northwestern Ohio. The first game of the series is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.