LAKELAND, Fla.- The Ave Maria University baseball team ran into a red-hot Southeastern University squad on Friday evening, losing two games to the Fire by scores of 13-3 and 11-8. The wins were Southeastern's 21st and 22nd consecutive victories.

Southeastern scored eleven runs in their final three plate appearances in the opener, claiming a 13-3 victory. The Fire only outhit the Gyrenes 9-8 in the first game, but were powered by four home runs.

Marvin Malone gave the Fire a 4-0 lead through four inning with a pair of home runs. Malone hit a two-run homer in the first inning, and followed with a solo shot in the fourth. The other fourth inning run was provided on a throwing error off the bat of Keiner Colmenarez.

The Gyrenes cut the Fire lead to three with a run in the top of the fifth inning. Ave Maria loaded the bases with a Matt Wiles single, a walk to Tully Allen, and a hit by pitch to Alex Perez. Wiles then crossed the plate on a wild pitch. 

Southeastern took further control of the game thanks to six runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. The biggest hit of the frame was provided by Vince Volpatti, who belted a one-out grand slam that gave the Fire a 10-1 lead. The other runs in the inning were driven in by Dominic Anagnos and Ivan Nunez.

Ave Maria completed their half of the scoring with two runs in the top half of the sixth. The Gyrenes loaded the bases with a single from Rico Soto, who went 4-for-4, a walk to Brody Howe, and a single from Steven Valentine. Nick Wydler drove in one run with a bases loaded walk, and Wiles added a sacrifice fly. Southeastern responded with three runs in the bottom of the inning to seal a seven inning win.

A six-run third inning propelled the Fire to the victory in the second game of the night, an 11-8 triumph. The Gyrenes mounted a furious comeback in the top of the ninth, but fell three runs short.

After two scoreless innings, Southeastern came alive for six runs in the bottom of the third. After RBI singles from Malone and Dan Valerio, the Fire were given their second grand slam of the night off the bat of Nunez, provided a 6-0 lead for the home team.

Southeastern would score in each of the next three innings to stretch their lead to 9-0. A fourth inning sacrifice fly from Anagnos, a fifth inning home run from Adam De La Cruz, and a sixth inning hit by pitch to Volpatti with the bases loaded provided the runs for the Fire.

AMU got on the board with a run in the both the seventh and eighth innings. In the seventh, Mark Rooney drove in Steven Valentine, who had doubled, with a sacrifice fly to center field. Then in the eighth, Valentine recorded a two-out single to drive in Ryan Keegan. Two runs from the Fire made it 11-2 entering the ninth inning.

The Gyrenes made a frantic comeback in the ninth that saw the go-ahead run advance to the plate. It started with one out, when Rooney started with a single. Matt Wiles followed with a two-run homer to cut the lead to 11-4. An error off the bat of Keegan cut it to 11-5, and the Gyrenes still had the bases loaded. Consecutive bases loaded walks to Valentine and Luis Dominguez continued the rally, and the final run came in when Nick Wydler reached on an error.

The Sun Conference series continues on Saturday with the finale, scheduled for a noon first pitch in Lakeland.