BABSON PARK, Fla.- The Ave Maria University baseball team fell in non-conference action on Wednesday afternoon, dropping a 14-2 decision to the Warriors of Webber International University. The Warriors, who entered the game ranked 24th in the nation, scored nine unanswered runs to conclude the contest after eight innings.
The Gyrenes got on the board first, scoring a run in the top of the first inning. Ave loaded the bases on a Daniel Caylor single and two walks. With two outs, Andy Hernandez singled in Caylor, giving AMU a 1-0 lead. A strikeout left the bases loaded in the opening inning and stranded three Gyrenes on base.
After the second and third innings passed with no scores, the Warriors broke the game open with five in the bottom of the fourth. Two walks and a single loaded the bases for Webber, and a hit by pitch drawn by Luis Esteban tied the game at one. A two-run single from Cristian Rivera and an RBI single from Garrett Martin followed, with an RBI single from Norberto Navarro concluding the inning's scoring.
Ave Maria scored their final run of the game in the top of the fifth inning, cutting the Webber lead to three runs. The offense came entirely with two outs, and started with a walk drawn by Tully Allen. A single by Alex Perez moved Allen to second, and an RBI single from Robby McMahon drove in the run. Perez was thrown out at home trying to score AMU's third run, keeping the Warrior lead at 5-2.
Runs in the fifth and sixth innings got the runs back for the Warriors, increasing the lead to 7-2. In the fifth inning, a two-out single from Rivera led to a run when Martin drove in the runner with a double down the left field line. Carlo Mancillas extended the Webber lead in the sixth by belting the first home run of the day, a solo shot to left center.
The power continued for the Warriors in the seventh inning, as all three runs in the frame came across on a longball. The Warriors put runners on first and third on a single by Martin and a walk to Navarro. The bases were then cleared by Willie Carter, who drove a pitch over the left center field wall to extend the WIU lead to 10-2.
Webber ended the game in the bottom of the eighth, scoring four runs to enact the run rule. With two outs in the inning, Martin drove in a run with a single to right field, bringing Quinsly Balentien across the plate. The Warriors then concluded the action with a three-run homer by pinch-hitter Kevin Snyder.
Ave Maria's schedule continues on Friday, when the Gyrenes battle the No. 1 team in the nation. The Southeastern Fire come to Bowie's Ballpark for the first game of a three-game conference series, with first pitch scheduled for 3 p.m.
