AVE MARIA, Fla.- The Ave Maria University softball team fell to Thomas University on Saturday afternoon in a pair of Sun Conference contests at the AMU Softball Field. The Night Hawks snuck past the Gyrenes in the opener with an 8-7 victory, and used a big inning to claim a 11-1 win in the nightcap. Thomas moves to 3-1 in conference play, while Ave Maria falls to 1-3.

Ave Maria jumped out to a 4-0 lead on Saturday afternoon, scoring two runs each in the first and second innings. The Gyrenes scored two runs in the first inning on a fielder's choice from Aylin Naranjo where Kalie Romig beat the throw home, and a sacrifice fly from Genevieve Twigg. Both second inning runs were provided by Michella Davis, who doubled in Romig and Emma Thompson.

The game's next seven runs were scored by the Night Hawks, who plated four in the third inning and three more in the fifth. Thomas tied the game in the third inning with four runs, which were brought home on a two-run double from Barbara Woll, an RBI single from Hannah Wilde, and an RBI double from Corryne Diaz. Two more doubles gave the Night Hawks the lead in the fifth inning, as a two-run double from Gaby Mora and a double scoring one run from Addyson Mauldin gave Thomas a 7-4 lead.

AMU answered with three runs of their own in the bottom of the fifth, tying the game at seven. With two outs in the frame, Angela Cataldo was hit by a pitch, and Mariah Melendez followed with an RBI double. Twigg then drove in Melendez with a single, and a subsequent single from Abby Love drove in pinch runner Lydia White for the tying run.

With the game tied at seven, Thomas brought in the winning run in the top of the seventh. Mora hit a double with one out, and moved up to third on a flyout from Wilde. The winning run crossed the plate on a single by Diaz. Ave got runners on second and third with one out in the bottom of the inning, but could not get a third walk-off win of the week.

Both teams recorded eleven hits in game one, with Romig, Cataldo, and Melendez all logging two hits. Diaz led all hitters with three hits, and she also drove in two runs in the win. Emily Bowne, who recorded the final five outs for Thomas, picked up the win.

In game two, AMU scored the first run of the game before Thomas ripped off eleven in a row over the final three innings. In the first inning, Davis drove in Mariah Melendez with a single to give the Gyrenes the early 1-0 lead.

Thomas' eleven-run surge was guided by Barbara Woll, who went 4-for-4 with four runs batted in.  In the loss, Ave Maria got two-hit performances from Romig and Davis, while Angela Cataldo added another hit. 

The Gyrenes will step out of Sun Conference play on Monday for a doubleheader with Concordia University from Ann Arbor, Michigan. First pitch at the AMU Softball Field is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.