AVE MARIA, Fla.- The Ave Maria University baseball team began the 2020 season on Wednesday afternoon with a non-conference contest against the Keiser University Seahawks at Bowie's Ballpark. One big inning doomed the Gyrenes, as the Seahawks, who are receiving votes in the preseason NAIA Coaches' Poll, claimed a 13-3 victory in seven innings.

Keiser got on the board early, thanks to a first inning home run. With two outs in the opening frame, third baseman Tim Bouchard blasted a solo home run, marking Keiser's fourth home run in the first two games of the season. Bouchard's homer was the only run of the first inning, starting Keiser off with a 1-0 lead.

Ave Maria got that run back in the bottom of the second. Aidan Hickey drew a leadoff walk, and remained on first base with two outs in the inning. Senior Tyler Chase stepped up and doubled, driving in the freshman from first base to tie the game at one.

The Gyrenes took the lead with two runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. Chase led off with a single, and was lifted for courtesy runner Eddie Castillo. A single by Wilfredo Acevedo moved runners to first and second, and a passed ball advanced Acevedo and Castillo to second and third. Castillo scored on an error off the bat of Daniel Caylor, while a passed ball allowed Acevedo to score, giving the Gyrenes a 3-1 lead after five innings.

In the top of the sixth, Keiser scored once to cut the Ave Maria lead down to one run. The run came with two outs in the inning, when right fielder Drew Reilly blasted a solo home run over the left field fence at Bowie's Ballpark.

The game's big inning came in the top of the seventh, and saw Keiser score eleven runs to turn a 3-2 Gyrene lead into a 13-3 contest that would be ended due to the NAIA run rule. The biggest hit of the inning was a bases-clearing triple by former Gyrene Mason Dinesen, which increased the Seahawks' lead from 6-3 to 9-3. 

Despite taking the loss, Jakob MacLeod pitched well in his AMU debut. The Toronto native worked six innings, and allowed just three earned runs with a pair of strikeouts. Ave Maria's hits on the afternoon were provided by Chase and Acevedo. 

This weekend, the Gyrenes will travel to Cochran, Georgia for a three-game series against Middle Georgia State. Two games will be played on Friday, with the series finale set for Saturday afternoon.