Box Score MIAMI GARDENS, Fla.- The Ave Maria University baseball team needed eleven innings to claim a conference victory on Friday night, outlasting the Florida Memorial University Lions 12-11 in Miami Gardens. The Gyrenes led 11-5 through seven innings, but were able to hang on for the extra inning victory.

Ave Maria jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning, and needed just one hit to do so. AMU drew four walks and were hit by a pitch in the opening inning of the game. Alex Perez started the scoring with an RBI single, while a bases loaded walk to Andy Hernandez increased the lead. The third run crossed the plate thanks to a sacrifice fly from Anier Ricardo.

In the bottom of the first, Florida Memorial responded with two runs of their own. The first two batters of the inning, Jouseph Renovales and Edison Cabrera singled for the Lions. Both runners would eventually score on a double from Francisco Quinonez with one out in the inning, but Quinonez would be stranded on third to keep the Ave lead intact.

AMU's lead increased to 6-2 in the fourth inning, as three more runs crossed the plate for the Gyrenes. Ricardo started the action with a single to center field, and stole second base. He scored on an RBI single from Luis Rodriguez, who along with Daniel Caylor, scored on a two-run single from Tully Allen later in the inning. 

The Lions clawed back with three runs in the bottom of the sixth, cutting the Ave Maria lead back to one run. Florida Memorial loaded the bases on three consecutive one-out walks, and Renovales drove in two of the runners on a double to right field. The third run of the inning came across the plate on an RBI groundout by Cabrera.

Five runs scored for the Gyrenes in the top of the seventh inning, accounting for AMU's biggest inning of the day. The inning started on three consecutive singles from Perez, Robby McMahon, and Hernandez, loading the bases. A sacrifice fly from Ricardo scored Perez, and a passed ball allowed pinch-runner Chris Wydler to score. Caylor then provided the biggest hit of the game thus far, clearing the bases on a three-run triple to give AMU an 11-5 lead.

Florida Memorial's comeback to force extra innings saw the Lions scored a run in the bottom of the eighth and five in the bottom of the ninth. The run in the eighth inning came on an RBI groundout from Cabrera. In the ninth, runs were driven in by Renovales, Axel Gomez, Jose Chavez, and Quinonez, with the tying run scoring on an AMU error.

After a scoreless tenth inning, the Gyrenes pushed across the game-winning run in the top of the eleventh inning. Spencer Nelson walked to start the frame, and Wydler, who ran for Nelson, was moved up to second by Justin Hartshorne. After a walk and a fielder's choice moved Wydler ahead to third, a wild pitch allowed the runner to score what proved to be the winning run.

Caylor led with Ave Maria offensive onslaught with three hits, three RBIs, and two runs scored, while Alex Perez scored twice and added a pair of singles. A scoreless tenth inning allowed Kyle Conway to pick up the win for the Gyrenes, and a scoreless eleventh supplied the save to Devin Mattingly.

The Gyrenes and Lions, who are now tied for sixth in The Sun Conference standings, will play a doubleheader in Miami Gardens on Saturday to complete the series. First pitch at Florida Memorial is scheduled for noon.