AVE MARIA, Fla.- The Ave Maria University baseball team opened their Spring Break homestand with a win on Friday afternoon, holding off the Spring Arbor University Cougars for a 4-3 victory at Bowie's Ballpark in Ave Maria. The win came in AMU's first home game in over two weeks. 

After three and a half innings without a run, Ave Maria put three on the board in the bottom of the fourth inning. Ryan Keegan walked and Rico Soto singled to start the inning, but Keegan was subsequently picked off between second and third, leaving courtesy runner Christian Whitlach at second with two outs. Steven Valentine singled to keep the inning alive, and Luis Dominguez drew another walk to load the bases. 

Nick Wydler got Ave on the board with a bases loaded walk, and Alex Perez followed with an RBI single up the middle. Ave Maria's third run of the inning came on a wild pitch, which allowed Valentine to cross the plate. The RBIs from Wydler and Perez proved to be the only RBIs of the day for the victorious Gyrenes.

Ave stretched their lead to 4-0 in the bottom of the fifth. Matt Wiles led off the inning with a single, and stole second base with Keegan at the plate. A Keegan single put runners on the corners. Wiles scored on a double play ball off the bat of Rico Soto, clearing the bases but giving the Gyrenes a 4-0 lead.

Spring Arbor responded with three runs in the seventh inning, cutting AMU's lead down to one run. Peyton Harding was hit by a pitch, and scored when an infield single was misplayed, allowing Danilo Leon to advance to third. Another single and an error plated Leon, and put Jack Driscoll on third. The Cougars moved within 4-3 on a sacrifice fly by Chris Triplett.

Andrew Giddens nailed down the win for Ave Maria in the final two innings, striking out four Spring Arbor hitters and allowing only a single with two outs in the eighth. Giddens earned the save while Sergio Miyares earned the victory following seven quality innings on the mound. AMU was outhit 8-6 by Spring Arbor, and committed four errors to the Cougars' one, but were helped by six free passes, while Miyares and Giddens combined to allow only one.

The series between Ave Maria and Spring Arbor continues on Saturday with a doubleheader. The twinbill, which will feature a pair of seven-inning games, will begin with an 11:00 a.m. first pitch in Ave Maria.