AVE MARIA, Fla.- The Ave Maria University baseball team won their first conference series of the season on Saturday, thanks to a doubleheader sweep of the Florida Memorial University Lions. The Gyrenes picked up a walk-off victory, 3-2, in the opener, then finished off the series win with a decisive 8-3 triumph in the nightcap.

Just two runs were scored in the first five innings of the opener, with both coming in the top of the fifth inning. The Lions loaded the bases with the first three hitters of the frame, doing so with a single, a walk, and a hit by pitch. After a strikeout, a fielder's choice and an error allowed two runners - Yunior Sanchez and Luis Angel Rivera  - to score, giving the Lions a 2-0 lead.

Ave Maria got both runs back in the bottom of the sixth, evening the game at two. Aidan Hickey started the frame with a double, and a walk and a hit batsman proceeded to load the bases with two outs. Daniel Caylor drew a bases loaded walk to pull the Gyrenes within one, and an RBI single up the middle from Jared Halteman tied the score at two, where it would remain until the bottom of the ninth.

AMU's walk-off heroics in the bottom of the ninth started on a single by Halteman. Alex Perez was hit by a pitch, and Tyler Chase laid down a perfect bunt single to load the bases. On a 3-1 pitch, Hickey laid off a pitch in the dirt to draw a bases loaded walk, forcing Halteman home from third for the winning run. 

Bryan Craft worked two scoreless, hitless innings for the Gyrenes, and earned the win on the mound. Trey Felker continued his run of quality starts, allowing just one earned run over seven innings of work. Felker struck out five Florida Memorial hitters while walking just one.

Florida Memorial again scored first in the second game, plating a lone run in the top of the first. Rohandry Javier led off the game with a single, and moved up to third  on a steal and a wild pitch. The second hitter of the game, Jouseph Renovales, drove him in with an RBI groundout to the shortstop.

The Gyrenes tied the game in the bottom of the fifth, marking the beginning of a stretch of eight unanswered runs. Hickey continued a stellar day with a leadoff single, and was immediately driven home by Kolby Blanchard. Blanchard's RBI double to right center evened the score at one, and proved to be a turning point.

In the bottom of the sixth, the Gyrenes took the lead for good with three runs. With the bases loaded and two outs, Alex Perez scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch. Blanchard then had another big hit with an RBI single up the middle, which allowed Hickey and Chase to score.

Four more runs scored for AMU in the seventh, essentially putting the game out of reach. An RBI single from Halteman and an RBI groundout from Perez extended the lead to 6-1, and a two-run triple by Chase pushed the Gyrene advantage to an insurmountable seven runs. FMU got two back in the eighth on a home run, but could get no closer.

Will Shea was excellent on the mound, pitching seven innings with just one run allowed. Shea struck out six FMU hitters, and allowed only two hits. 

Next week contains four top-five challenges for the Gyrenes, who will face No. 2 St. Thomas in a non-conference game on Tuesday before a weekend series against No. 4 Southeastern.