AVE MARIA, Fla.- The Ave Maria University softball team walked off on the No. 13 team in the nation on Thursday afternoon, defeating the University of South Carolina Beaufort 7-6 in the first game of a doubleheader at the AMU Softball Field. USCB rallied for a 5-0 victory in the nightcap, splitting AMU's conference-opening doubleheader.
Ave Maria jumped out to a 5-1 lead in the first two innings of the opener, scoring four in the first and one more in the second. AMU's first inning surge was powered with two outs, as Genevieve Twigg, Emma Thompson, and Aylin Naranjo all provided run scoring singles, with the single from Naranjo driving in the last two runs of the frame. The Gyrenes again scored with two outs in the second, when Angela Cataldo drove in Kalie Romig with a single.
Down four runs through two innings, the No. 13 Sand Sharks battled back for four unanswered runs, scoring two in the third, one in the fourth, and one in the fifth. A walk and a wild pitch got USCB their runs in the third, and an RBI single from Kaitlyn O'Hearn pulled the Sand Sharks within one run. An RBI single from Kayla Boyle then tied the game in the top of the fifth.
Michella Davis then swung the lead back to the Gyrenes in the bottom of the fifth, blasting her fourth home run of the season and the eleventh of her career. Davis' eleventh home run tied her for second in AMU history, five behind Sadie Mosher for the record. USCB answered with a run in the top of the sixth, scoring on an RBI single from Natassja Hatcher.
AMU's seventh-inning heroics started with Morgan Grimm, who blooped a double down the left field line to lead off the frame. After a groundout kept Grimm at second base, Naranjo stepped to plate and lined a single to right field, allowing Grimm to easily score from second and giving the Gyrenes their second consecutive walk-off win.
Mackenzie Frye pitched the final 4.1 innings for the Gyrenes, and earned her third victory of the season. Naranjo led the Gyrenes at the plate with two hits and three RBIs, while Romig reached base three times with two singles, two runs scored, and two stolen bases.
In game two, starters Brooke Pierron and Sloan Ducey kept the game scoreless through four innings. USCB broke through in the fifth inning, scoring runs on a pair of fielder's choices hit by Haley Hawkins and Kaleigh Furbush.
The Sand Sharks broke the game open with three runs in the top of the seventh. The lead grew to 3-0 on a wild pitch, and a two-run double from Shania Domingue sealed USCB's 5-0 victory, moving both teams to .500 in conference play - USCB at 2-2 and Ave Maria at 1-1.
Angela Cataldo provided the lone AMU hit in the nightcap, a single in the second inning. Despite tossing five strong innings with just two runs allowed, Pierron took the loss for the Gyrenes while Ducey earned the win for USCB.
Sun Conference play for the Gyrenes continues on Saturday, when the Night Hawks of Thomas University come to town. First pitch of the conference doubleheader is scheduled for noon at the AMU Softball Field, with the nightcap following a half hour after the opener's conclusion.
