GULF SHORES, Fla.- The Ave Maria University softball team concluded play at the Gulf Coast Invitational on Sunday afternoon, taking on RV Lyon College and No. 17 William Carey University. The Gyrenes went down to the wire with the Scots in the opener, falling 3-2, before dropping the final game of the event, 10-0, to the Crusaders.
The opening game of the day remained scoreless through four innings, as the Gyrenes got a scoreless inning from Brittany Blizzard and three more from Aylin Naranjo. In the fifth inning, Dariyen Varner reached on a one-out walk, and Kalie Romig followed with a single to put runners on first and second. After a flyout accounted for the second out, Genevieve Twigg singled up the middle to drive in Varner, giving AMU a 1-0 lead.
Lyon evened the score in the bottom of the sixth, loading the bases with one out. A bunt from Faith Cornmesser plated Megan Micke to tie the game at one, and kept the bases loaded. Naranjo was able to get a lineout from Riley Shaw and a flyout from Anna Beth Conditt to keep the score level at one heading into the seventh inning.
Ave took the lead back in the top of the seventh inning, sparked by Romig. The junior walked, stole second, and took third on an Angela Cataldo groundout. After a lineout accounted for the second out of the inning, Michella Davis singled to center field to drive in Romig and give AMU a 2-1 lead.
The Scots responded by walking off in the bottom of the seventh. Cheyenne Black tied the game with a sacrifice fly that drove in Siobhan Taylor, and Breanna Langford ended the contest with a single to center that allowed Micke to cross the plate for the winning run.
Romig was the offensive sparkplug for the Gyrenes against Lyon, going 3-for-3 with a run scored and a stolen base. The all-conference centerfielder also threw out a Scot runner trying to score on a single in the second inning, which kept the game scoreless at the time. Four other Gyrenes recorded one hit, with a double from Blizzard serving as the only extra-base hit for AMU.
In the final game of Ave's stay in Gulf Shores, William Carey scored in five of the game's seven innings to claim the victory over the Gyrenes. Eight of William Carey's nine starters recorded at least one hit, led by a 3-for-4 effort with three runs scored from Megan Sexton and two hits and three runs batted in from Mary Blair Odom.
Five of Ave Maria's six hits were provided by the duo of Graelyn Crawford and Lydia White. Crawford went 3-for-3 at the plate, including a double, while White added two hits and made a stellar catch in right field to aid the AMU defensive effort. Cataldo recorded the other hit for the Gyrenes, marking the fourth game in a row where she has hit safely.
AMU's Spring Break trip continues on Tuesday, when the Gyrenes take on the Tornadoes of Talladega College in Alabama. The Gyrenes will play two in Talladega at noon and 2 p.m. before concluding their trip against fifth-ranked Georgia Gwinnett on Wednesday.
