AVE MARIA, Fla.- The Ave Maria University baseball team exploded for 28 runs on Tuesday afternoon, powering a doubleheader sweep of the Florida National University Conquistadors at Bowie's Ballpark. The Gyrenes scored 19 runs in the opener, a 19-10 win, the third highest single-game total in school history, and followed with a 9-0 shutout in the nightcap.

In the opener, the Gyrenes jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the first two innings. After a run in the first was provided by a double from Ethan Bergkamp, AMU added five more in the second. Daniel Caylor scored the first run on an FNU error, and Kolby Blanchard added another with a sacrifice fly. Leading 3-0, Jose Gonzalez drilled his second home run of the season, a three-run shot that extended the lead to 6-0.

Florida National got two runs back in the top of the third, but the Gyrenes again answered with four tuns in the bottom half of the frame. Tanner Kelly drove in the first run with an RBI single, and Willie Jackson added two more runs with a single of his own. Blanchard accounted for the fourth run in the inning, as his second sacrifice fly of the day scored Harrison Rossi to extend the lead to 10-2.

The scoring for both teams continued throughout the game, as multiple runs were scored in nine consecutive half innings. The Conquistadors scored two runs in the fourth and three more in the fifth, while Ave Maria answered with two runs in both half innings. 

AMU's runs in the fourth came on a solo homer from Bergkamp, his fourth of the season, and an RBI double from Rossi. In the fifth, Francesco Barbieri started the frame with a homer, and Bergkamp added his second of the game and his fifth of the season, a total that currently ranks second in the nation.

FNU scored three in the top of the sixth, but Ave Maria finally put the game away with five runs in the bottom of the sixth. Kelly hit the first Gyrene triple of the season to bring in a run, and Rossi followed up with another RBI. A bases loaded walk to Blanchard, as well as a pair of sacrifice flies, concluded the scoring.

Carlos Vega pitched the first four innings of the game for the Gyrenes, and allowed just one earned run to earn his first victory at Ave Maria. Coming on with the bases loaded in the fifth, Callan Carn would pitch the last three innings for AMU, and was credited with a save.

Game two saw the Gyrenes build their lead starting with a run in the second inning, provided on a sacrifice fly from Rocco Pascente. The score expanded to 4-0 in the bottom of the third, thanks mostly to defensive miscues from the Conquistadors, who committed five errors. Two of the three runs in the inning crossed the plate on errors, with the other coming on a double from Bergkamp. 

Ave Maria would score two more runs each in the fourth and fifth inning, with one swing of the bat doing the damage in both frames. In the fourth, Blanchard hit his third home run of the season, a two-run shot that also scored pinch runner Eric Havner. Pascente added his second and third RBIs in the fifth with a two-run single.

Jose Gonzalez became the lone Gyrene to homer in both games of the doubleheader, concluding the day's scoring with a solo home run in the bottom of the sixth. 

The Gyrene pitching was outstanding in game two, as Ryan Schroeder and Alex Nickler combined for a shutout. Schroeder pitched the first four innings, allowing just two hits while striking out seven. In relief, Nickler faced the minimum nine hitters, striking out four without allowing a hit. Schroeder was the winning pitcher for AMU, while Nickler earned the save. 

Next on the schedule for Ave Maria is a four-game series with Ohio Christian University, which is slated to start with a doubleheader on Friday.