GULF SHORES, Ala.- The Ave Maria University softball team bounced back with two wins in the Gulf Coast Invitational on Saturday in Gulf Shores, Alabama, including the team's first signature win of the 2021 campaign. The Gyrenes came back from a 6-1 deficit to defeat the No. 7 team in the nation, the University of Mobile, 9-7, thanks to a massive performance from freshman Marisa Michi. AMU then completed the day's sweep with a 12-3 victory over the Firestorm of Arizona Christian University, who were receiving votes in the NAIA Coaches' Poll.

Ave Maria struck first in game one against Mobile, scoring a run in the bottom of the first. Kalie Romig led off the inning with a bloop second, then stole second base. After Paxton Hoop was hit by a pitch, a bunt from Angela Cataldo put runners on second and third. A wild pitch allowed Romig to score from third, giving Ave Maria a 1-0 lead in the opening inning of the contest.

Mobile responded in their next two trips to the plate, scoring two in the second and four more in the third. The Rams tied the game with an RBI single from Lindsie Sanders in the second, then took the lead on a sacrifice fly from Kristen Black. In the third inning, three of Mobile's four runs were driven in by Sanders, who homered well over the left field fence to put the Rams up 6-1. Chloe Buck also brought in a run, the first of the inning, on a sacrifice fly.

The Gyrenes did not back down from the seventh-ranked team in the nation, scoring the game's next three runs. Michi started the attempt at a rally in the bottom of the third, belting her second home run of the season down the left field line. Ave Maria also added a run in the fourth on a sacrifice bunt from Abagail Love, in which the speedy Miriam Padgett scored from second base.

After Mobile extended their lead to 7-4 in the top of the fifth, Ave Maria responded with a five-run sixth inning, taking a 9-7 lead into the seventh. AMU's speed got the first two runs on the board, as Padgett singled and came around to score on a Katelynn Sebastiani single, while Sebastiani scored on a wild pitch. After singles by Hoop and Cataldo, Michi uncorked the biggest hit of her young career, a go-ahead three-run homer. Michi became just the fourth player in Ave Maria history to hit two home runs in one game, and finished the day with five RBIs.

Aylin Naranjo came on in the fourth inning for Ave Maria in the circle, and was magnificent in her first outing of the season. The junior allowed just one earned run in her four innings of work, keeping the Rams off balance  - and mostly off the scoreboard - as AMU put together their come-from-behind win.

AMU wasted little time in game two, putting five runs on the board in the top of the first inning. Leadoff hitter Kalie Romig led off with a single, and moved up to third with a steal and a single from Hoop. A double steal allowed Romig to score, and Hoop followed on an RBI single from Michi, her sixth RBI of the day. Two hit by pitches again loaded the bases, and a walk to Padgett made it 3-0 AMU. Love concluded the scoring with a two-run single down the left field line, increasing the lead to 5-0.

Arizona Christian got two runs back in the bottom of the first, but Ave Maria would blow the game wide open with a seven-spot in the top of the fourth inning. Cataldo scored the first run on a passed ball that followed a leadoff triple. The next six runs all scored with two outs, with the first coming on an error off the bat of Ashley Nelson. Emma Thompson walked with the bases loaded to make it 8-2, and Hoop and Cataldo each drove in two runs on a double and a single, respectively.

Sarah Shepard picked up her third win of the season in the circle, pitching all five innings and allowing just two earned runs. The senior logged a pair of strikeouts, and recorded nine of her 15 outs via groundballs. 

Following two impressive wins on Saturday, the Gyrenes will finish their stay in Alabama with a pair of games on Sunday morning. Ave Maria will face their third ranked opponent of the weekend in No. 12 William Carey University at 9:00 a.m., then will finish the event at 11:15 a.m. against the Generals of LSU Alexandria.