Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 AUBURNDALE, Fla.- The Ave Maria University baseball team dropped a doubleheader to Concordia University (Mich.) on Tuesday evening, losing 9-1 and 12-4 to the Cardinals at the Lake Myrtle Sports Complex in Auburndale. The games were originally scheduled for Bowie's Ballpark, but were moved north due to inclement weather in Southwest Florida.

The Cardinals took a 4-0 lead early in the opener, scoring two runs in both the second and third innings. Both Concordia runs in the second inning crossed the plate on an RBI single from Preston Sherman, which scored Vann Acker and Ethan Vosburg. Then, in the third inning, the Cardinals got runs on a sacrifice fly from Vosburg and a balk from AMU that allowed Blaine Milheim to score.

Ave Maria's lone run in the first game of the doubleheader came in the top of the fourth, when the Gyrenes pushed across one to cut the Concordia lead to 4-1. Daniel Caylor reached on a fielder's choice for AMU, and moved up to second on a wild pitch. After a walk to Tully Allen, an error from Concordia allowed Caylor to score from second, trimming the Cardinal edge to three runs.

Concordia put the game away in the bottom half of the fourth by plating five runs to finish the scoring. An error allowed the first run of the inning to score, and a sacrifice fly from Milheim increased the Concordia lead to 6-1. Vosburg added his second and third RBIs of the day with a single, and Kainan Bayn concluded the action with an RBI fielder's choice.

AMU logged two hits in the losing effort, as Allen and Spencer Nelson both recorded singles. Gabe Pena was a bright spot on the mound for the Gyrenes, finishing the game with two scoreless innings of work.

For the second game in a row, Concordia jumped out to a big inning in the opening frames of game 2, leading 5-0 after two innings. The Cardinals led 2-0 after one inning thanks to an RBI groundout from Milheim and a sacrifice fly from Grant Steinborn. The lead extended to 5-0 in second inning on an RBI double from Sherman, a sacrifice fly from Johnny Shields, and an RBI single from Chris Lowe.

The Gyrenes battled back with four runs in the bottom of the third, coming within one run of the Cardinals. Justin Hartshorne started the inning by getting hit by a pitch, and Chris Wydler followed with a single. Hartshorne scored following a steal and a wild pitch, and Wydler and Allen, who walked, scored on an RBI double from Robby McMahon. The Gyrenes scored their fourth run of the frame on an RBI double from Brian Spradlin.

Despite the rally from Ave Maria, Concordia again pulled away with four runs in the fourth and three more in the fifth. A two-run single from Milheim and a two-run home run from Steinborn provided the runs in the fourth, while a balk, an RBI double from Shields and an RBI groundout from Lowe concluded the action in the top of the fifth inning.

A scheduled doubleheader for the Gyrenes against Florida National University on Wednesday has been postponed until April. Ave Maria will return to action on Friday for the first game of a Sun Conference series against Florida Memorial University.