WINTER HAVEN, Fla.- The Ave Maria University baseball team split their neutral site doubleheader on Wednesday, taking one game from the Golden Eagles of Cornerstone University at Chain O' Lakes Park. The Gyrenes rolled to a 15-5 victory in the opener, but Cornerstone answered with a 6-3 triumph in the finale.

Ave Maria scored in every inning of the contest, starting with two runs in the top of the first. Daniel Caylor led off the contest with a single, and advanced on a stolen base. Jared Halteman drove in Caylor with an RBI single, then scored himself on a wild pitch. The Gyrenes added one run each in the second and third innings to pad their lead. A sacrifice fly from Halteman scored Nicholas Soles in the second, while a Soles single plated Eddie Castillo in the third.

The Gyrenes lead ballooned to 8-0 in the top of the fourth. After a leadoff walk to Halteman, Alex Perez doubled to center field to score a run. Perez, as well as Aidan Hickey, scored on a single from Soles, while Wilfredo Acevedo capped the four-run inning with a double down the left field line. 

Three more runs scored for AMU in the fifth, expanding the Gyrenes' advantage to eleven runs. Mark Rooney, who had entered the game as a pinch-hitter, supplied a two-run single that brought Kolby Blanchard and Anier Ricardo in to score. A wild pitch added the third run of the inning, scoring Bergkamp. Cornerstone got their first two runs in the fifth, scoring on an RBI groundout from Kyle DeSchryver and an RBI single from Isaac Tayes.

AMU scored two runs each in the sixth and seventh to complete their half of the scoring. Ethan Bergkamp extended Ave Maria's lead to 13-2 in the sixth with a two-out, two-run double. The final two runs of the game for the Gyrenes were provided by Soles and Halteman, who accounted for an RBI double and an RBI single. A three-run triple from Landon Poll in the bottom of the seventh ended Cornerstone's half of the action. 

In addition to two hits, three runs scored, and three RBIs, Halteman was also the winning pitcher on the mound. The two-way player pitched the first five innings, allowing two runs and striking out four Cornerstone hitters. Soles added four hits and four RBIs for AMU in the victory.

Game 2 saw Cornerstone score the game's first six runs, with one coming in the third and five more following in the fourth. The Golden Eagles took the lead on a fielder's choice in the third, then added runs in the fourth inning on a sacrifice fly from Austin Hurt, a single from Evan Shirley, a wild pitch, and a two-run double by Jordan Wenzel. 

Ave Maria attempted to rally with two runs in the fifth and one in the seventh. An Acevedo double led to an RBI double from Halteman in the fifth inning, and Hickey followed with an RBI single with two outs in the frame. Hickey was also responsible for the final run of the day, driving in Halteman with a double in the bottom of the seventh.

The Gyrenes will play one more game in the RussMatt Invitational on Thursday evening against the Trolls of Trinity Christian College. First pitch in Auburndale is scheduled for 5:00 p.m.