AVE MARIA, Fla.- The Ave Maria University softball team extended their winning streak to nine games on Monday, thanks to a doubleheader sweep of the Eagles from Robert Morris University. The Gyrenes rode yet another gem from Kassandra Clark to a 2-0 win in the opener, then tied a school record with their ninth consecutive win in a 10-2 win. The winning streak ties the school record set in 2017, when the Gyrenes won nine straight en route to a 13-3 start.

Game one's only runs were scored in the bottom of the second inning. With one out in the frame, Mariah Melendez and Abagail Love hit singles to put runners on first and second. Morgan Grimm then roped a double into the gap, scoring both Melendez and Love. Despite being thrown out at third, Grimm's two-run double proved to be all the run support the Gyrenes would need.

Clark continued her streak of stellar starts, tossing a complete game shutout to earn her fifth win in a row. The freshman struck out eleven hitters, making her the first Gyrene since 2015 to strike out ten or more hitters twice in the same season. Clark, who was named The Sun Conference Pitcher of the Week on Monday, has struck out 50 hitters thus far this season, and leads the conference in strikeouts per seven innings pitched.

Offensively, Grimm and Aylin Naranjo led the way with two hits each, while five of the other seven hitters in the AMU lineup accounted for one hit. Grimm's double was the only extra base hit of the game for Ave Maria.

In game two, the Gyrenes scored in four of the contest's five innings to claim a run rule victory. The scoring started in the first inning, when AMU took a 2-0 lead. Kalie Romig led off with a single, and stood on second base after her 20th steal of the season. Angela Cataldo drove in Romig with a single, and moved up to third on an error. A sacrifice fly by Kayla Martinez then drove in Cataldo to increase the Ave lead to two.

After a two-run double by RMU's Montana Martinez tied the game, the Gyrenes took the lead for good in the bottom of the second. Love started the inning with a single, and an error in center field allowed the junior to move around to third. The next batter, Naranjo, hit a sacrifice fly that gave Ave Maria a 3-2 lead.

The Gyrenes added to their lead in the third, scoring three runs to open up a 6-2 lead. Romig singled and stole two bases to move to third base, then scored on an RBI groundout from Dariyen Varner. With the bases empty, Cataldo singled, then scored on a single and an error off the bat of Martinez. Martinez would score on an RBI single from Naranjo to increase the lead to four runs. 

AMU ended the game in the bottom of the fifth, scoring four runs to enact the NAIA run rule. An RBI single from Grimm, an RBI single by Love, an RBI double by Naranjo, and an RBI single from Melendez provided the scoring that ensured the Gyrenes' record-tying victory.

Brittany Blizzard earned the win in the circle, her fourth in a row. Five Gyrenes - Romig, Cataldo, Martinez, Love, and Naranjo each had two hits, while Naranjo led the way with three runs batted in. Romig stole three bases in the nightcap, increasing her season total to 22.

Ave Maria will look to set a new school record winning streak on Wednesday, when the Crimson Wave of Calumet College come to the AMU Softball Field. First pitch in Ave Maria is scheduled for 11:00 a.m., with the second game following 30 minutes after the conclusion of the opener.