AVE MARIA, Fla.- The Ave Maria University baseball team fell in a pair of non-conference contests on Wednesday afternoon, losing 8-4 and 9-4 to the Keiser University Seahawks at Bowie's Ballpark. The doubleheader was partially a make-up game from a midweek contest that was rained out earlier this season in West Palm Beach.
Keiser got on the board in the top of the second inning, doing their damage with two outs. With a runner on second and two outs, Miguel Casanueva drew a walk. The free base then cost the Gyrenes when Nate VanKan drilled a triple to left center, scoring both Casanueva and Juan De la Cruz to give the Seahawks a 2-0 lead.
Ave Maria inched within one run in the bottom of the third with their first score of the game. Tyler Chase led off the frame with a single, and courtesy runner Chris Wydler moved around to third on a groundout and a Daniel Caylor single. With runners on the corners, Tully Allen drove in Wydler with a single to center field.
Both teams scored in the fifth and sixth innings, with the Seahawks scoring five total runs to the Gyrenes' three. Keiser scored three runs in the fifth inning, as a sacrifice fly from Peter Crocitto and a two-run single by Ezequias Encarnacion did the damage. Two more runs crossed the plate in the sixth inning on a solo homer from VanKan and a single from Crocitto.
AMU's responses in those two innings featured two runs in the fifth and one more in the sixth. In the fifth, a Keiser error turned into a run as Luis Rodriguez reached on a miscue and eventually scored on an Allen single. A sacrifice fly from Robby McMahon added another run in the fifth, with a double play ball off the bat of Rodriguez bringing in Anier Ricardo in the sixth. Keiser capped the scoring with a VanKan double in the seventh, capping a 3-for-3, four RBI performance.
In Game two, Keiser also took the lead early, scoring twice in the first inning. A double from Crocitto turned into a run following back-to-back singles from Garret Hall and De la Cruz. The second run crossed the plate when a double from Encarnacion sent Hall in to score.
A collection of hit by pitches allowed Ave Maria to get a run back in the bottom of the second. After the first two hitters of the inning were retired, the Gyrenes proceeded to load the bases on a Nick Wydler single and two hit by pitches. The third hit batsman of the inning, Chris Wydler, put the Gyrenes on the board by forcing his brother Nick in from third.
The Seahawks broke the game open in the top of the third, adding three runs to claim a 5-1 lead. Sacrifice flies from De La Cruz and VanKan, as well as a Gyrene error, extended the lead. Another run was added by AMU in the bottom of the third, part of four consecutive innings where the Gyrenes scored one run. Nick Wydler singled with the bases loaded, scoring Allen from third.
Both teams scored in the fourth inning, with the Gyrenes pulling within two after a run in the bottom of the fifth. Keiser's fourth inning run was provided by Hall, whose one-out grounder to third scored courtesy runner Nick Talamo from third. Ave Maria answered with an RBI single from Alex Perez, and moved within two runs when Nick Wydler belted his third homer of the season in the fifth.
Keiser pulled away in the final two innings, scoring twice in the sixth and once more in the seventh. An RBI single from Crocitto and a run-scoring double from Hall increased the Keiser lead to 8-4 in the eighth. The day's scoring concluded on a sacrifice fly from Casanueva, which saw VanKan score from second base.
The Gyrenes, who are currently three games behind Florida Memorial for the final spot in The Sun Conference Tournament, begin a three-game series with the University of South Carolina Beaufort on Friday. The first two games of the series will be played on Friday, with the series finale coming Saturday afternoon.
