AVE MARIA, Fla.- The Ave Maria University softball team set a program record on Wednesday, winning their tenth, then eleventh, games in a row against the Crimson Wave of Calumet College of St. Joseph. The Gyrenes dominated in the opener with a 10-0 victory, then rallied from a pair of three-run deficits for a 9-7 win in the nightcap.
AMU wasted no time in getting on the board, scoring three runs in the bottom of the first inning. A single from Miriam Padgett and a walk to Kayla Martinez, as well as three combined stolen bases, put runners on second and third with two outs. Aylin Naranjo drove both runners in with a single, then scored herself following a single from Mariah Melendez and an error.
Four more runs came in for the Gyrenes in the second, extending the lead to 7-0. Ave Maria started the frame with four consecutive singles from Morgan Grimm, Paxton Hoop, Kalie Romig, and Miriam Padgett, with the last of those driving in a run. A fielder's choice off the bat of Cataldo drove in the fifth run, and an error from the Crimson Wave allowed Cataldo and Romig to score to increase the edge to seven runs.
At least one run crossed the plate in each of AMU's trips to the plate, allowing the Gyrenes to enact the run rule after four and a half innings. Freshmen Brooke Angerer and Mia Gallegos drove in the runs with a groundout and a single, respectively, in the fourth. The final run of the game was plated on a bunt from Abagail Love, which scored Melendez.
Kassandra Clark was stellar in the circle, allowing just one hits over her five innings of work. The reigning Sun Conference Pitcher of the Week took a no-hitter into the fifth inning, and added five strikeouts to her season total. At the plate, Padgett, Melendez, and Grimm each had two hits, while Naranjo led the run production with two RBIs.
Game two saw Calumet build a 4-1 lead in the first inning and a half, thanks to a two-run double in the first inning and run-scoring hits from Amanda Sandilla and Marissa Kopp in the second. Ave's first run was accounted for on a CCSJ error.
With a run in the second and another in the third, the Gyrenes battled back to within one run. Romig doubled in the run in the second inning, scoring pinch runner Sydney Rogowski. A bases loaded walk did the damage in the third, when Melendez drew a free pass that forced Cataldo in from third.
After Calumet scored two runs in the top of the fifth to take a 6-3 lead, the Gyrenes roared back with six runs of their own. An RBI double from Naranjo and a fielder's choice off the bat of Gallegos pulled AMU within one run. Romig tied the contest with her second double of the day, and Gracie Lopez gave Ave the lead for good with a two-run double. Cataldo added an insurance run on an RBI single that scored Lopez.
Although the Crimson Wave managed to score once in the sixth, Clark pitched the final two innings to pick up the first AMU save of the save. The winning pitcher for the Gyrenes was Brittany Blizzard, who moved to 5-0 on the season after five innings of work.
Romig came up big for the Gyrenes with two doubles, two runs batted in, and a run scored. Cataldo and Grimm also added two hits, and Lopez drove in two runs off the bench.
The Gyrenes now travel to Alabama for seven games, five of which will come in the Gulf Coast Invitational in Gulf Shores. The first doubleheader of the trip will come against Grace College from Indiana.
