MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – The Ave Maria University baseball team swept a doubleheader at No. 12 St. Thomas University by the score of 6-4 and 6-5 on Tuesday evening for its first win(s) over a ranked opponent since it defeated Jan. 31, 2020 when it defeated Middle Georgia State.
Senior reliever Christian Whitlatch was key in both victories as he tossed a combined total of five innings of relief while allowing on a pair of runs while earning saves in each contest.
Junior Brody Rubenstein was clutch at the plate as he registered a total of four hits that drove in five runs over the pair of wins.
The victories raise the Gyrenes overall record to 11-19 on the season, while St. Thomas slips to 19-11.
Following three scoreless innings in the opener, Clayton Stanley broke through for AMU when he scored on an error by St. Thomas catcher Daniel Mondejar, making the score 1-0.
Alex Perez, Wilfredo Acevedo and Hayden Sullivan each laced singles to open the fifth for the Gyrenes – which would result in five runs for AMU. Rubenstein came up next and cleared the bases with a triple down the right field lane to up the lead to 4-0.
Jeffery Cardazzone drove home two more with a single later in the fifth, increasing the lead to 6-0.
St. Thomas rallied with four runs in the bottom of the fifth to trim the deficit to 6-4. Six of the first seven hitters reached base for the Bobcats before a pair of singles that each drove home a couple of runs edged St. Thomas closer – but that was as close as it would get with Whitlatch sealing the victory with a pair of scoreless innings. He entered the contest with the bases loaded in the bottom of the fifth.
St. Thomas took the first lead at 1-0 on a RBI double by Mondejar. Sullivan answered for the Gyrenes with his second run-scoring single in as many games to deadlock the game at 1-1 in the top of the second.
Jack Khawly knocked another RBI double for the Bobcats in the third to give St. Thomas a 2-1 edge – which would prove to be its last lead of the evening.
The Gyrenes took control with four unanswered runs – one in the fourth and three in the fifth – and would make it stick.
Senior Ethan Bergkamp got things started with an RBI single in the fourth to knot the score at 2-2. Rubenstein launched his second triple of the day in the fifth, driving home Perez and using his speed to capitalize on some indifference by the Bobcats' defense to come around and score himself – giving AMU a 4-2 edge.
Daniel Caylor scored the final run of the inning on a wild pitch after reaching on a single, making the score 5-2.
Alejandro Rivero trimmed the margin to 5-4 with a two-run shot for St. Thomas in the bottom of the sixth, but AMU would get one of those runs back in the top of the seventh when Rubenstein crossed on a wild pitch.
That run would prove to be crucial as St. Thomas would threaten in the bottom of the seventh, but would plate just a single run and strand the potential tying run at second base after two of the first three hitters singled.
Whitlatch picked up his second save after allowing just one run and three hits over two innings of relief.
The Gyrenes return to Sun Conference action this weekend and will face another ranked opponent when they open a three-game series at No. 8 Keiser beginning Friday, March 26 at 3 p.m. EDT.
