COLUMBUS, Ga.- The Ave Maria University softball team stood toe-to-toe with some of the best teams in the nation this weekend, playing at the NFCA Leadoff Classic in Columbus, Georgia. In five games, the Gyrenes earned victories over (RV) Aquinas and Brenau in Columbus, and played nearly even with several other nationally recognized teams.
The Gyrenes started the Leadoff Classic with a showdown against a national powerhouse in Georgia Gwinnett College. The Gyrenes took a 3-2 lead into the bottom of the seventh, but the Grizzlies walked it off with a double to claim a 4-3 win. Elena Dybiec led the Gyrene offense with two hits, including an RBI single, while Alissa Bolinger pitched into the seventh inning against a powerful Grizzly lineup.
AMU's offense came to life in game two, which saw the Gyrenes score the first eight runs of the game in an 11-5 win over Aquinas. Maggie Hampton had a huge game in the victory, going 4-for-5 with two runs batted in and four runs scored, while Ryanne Saluter also added three singles. In the circle, Kassandra Clark pitched the final 3.2 innings to earn her first victory of the 2022 season.
Ave Maria kept up their winning ways on Saturday against Brenau, holding off the Tigers for a 5-4 win. Miriam Padgett was a sparkplug at the top of the AMU lineup, going 3-for-3 with a walk, a run scored, an RBI, and three stolen bases. Annie Nudera also added two hits, while Alissa Bolinger earned her second win with a complete game.
Saturday concluded against (RV) Reinhardt, when the Gyrenes nearly erased a 7-0 deficit before falling 11-7 to the Eagles. The biggest hit of the weekend came in Saturday's nightcap, when Kylee Lewis belted a grand slam in the bottom of the third for AMU's first home run of the season. The homer was one of three hits on the game for Lewis, and Marisa Michi added three hits of her own, including a double.
On the final day of the event, the Gyrenes fell late to (RV) Rio Grande, 4-3. Clark pitched all six innings for the Gyrenes, striking out five Red Storm hitters. Offensively, AMU churned out eleven hits, including three each from Hampton and Morgan Grimm. Grimm had a pair of RBI singles in the fifth and seventh, while Hampton drove in a run with a single to open the scoring in the top of the third.
Maggie Hampton was named to the All-Tournament team for the Gyrenes, logging seven hits over AMU's five-game stay in Columbus. Lewis was the team's leading run producer with five RBIs, as the sophomore catcher went 5-for-11 with five runs batted in. Marisa Michi added six hits and four RBIs against the nationally recognized competition.
Including the NFCA Leadoff Classic, the Gyrenes will play 16 games in the span of ten days. That stretch continues Monday, when the Gyrenes move south to Jacksonville, Florida for a doubleheader with Trinity Baptist College. First pitch of the twinbill against the Eagles is scheduled for 5:00 p.m.
