AVE MARIA, Fla.- The Ave Maria University baseball team took on their biggest challenge of the 2022 season to date on Friday, playing two games against the number 19 team in the nation, the Knights of Middle Georgia State University. Middle Georgia claimed both games of the doubleheader, rallying for an 8-3 win in the opener before emerging with a 13-9 win in a shootout of a nightcap.

Ave Maria struck first in the bottom of the second, as Rocco Pascente came through with a clutch hit. Tanner Kelly was the first Gyrene to reach, doing so on a walk. The next batter, Harrison Rossi, doubled down the right field line to put runners on second and third. With two outs, Pascente sent a single into center field, bringing in both runners and giving AMU a 2-0 lead. 

The Gyrenes added to their lead in the third, which started with a single by Daniel Caylor and a walk to Kolby Blanchard. Jose Gonzalez moved both runners up with a flyout, and Ethan Bergkamp plated Caylor with a grounder to the shortstop, widening Ave Maria's lead to 3-0.  

Middle Georgia's rally started in the fourth inning, when Andrew Krauss hit a two-run homer over the left field fence to cut the AMU lead to 3-2. The Knights took the lead in the next inning, with a sacrifice fly tying the score, and an RBI double from Ben Herrera putting the visitors in front. 

Three more runs crossed the plate for the Knights in the final four innings. The first came in the top of the sixth inning, when Justin Brooks singled up the middle to bring in Gomez. Middle Georgia concluded the day's scoring in the top of the ninth, as Herrera added two more RBIs with a single that scored Paolo Brossier and Brooks. 

Game two saw more of the same from the Middle Georgia offense, as the Knights jumped out to a 4-0 lead. The Knights scored three runs in the first, powered by a double from Metcalfe, a fielder's choice off the bat of Clayton Smith, and a bases loaded hit by pitch to JT Rice. In the second inning, MGA added to their lead thanks to an Ave Maria error following a Metcalfe single.

Trailing 4-0, the Gyrene offense came to life in the bottom of the second, scoring four runs of their own. All four runs crossed the plate with two outs, as AMU had a runner on third with two outs following a double from Bergkamp. Pascente and Hayden Sullivan both drew walks, loading the bases. A walk to Caylor and a hit by pitch to Blanchard pushed two runs across, and Gonzalez tied the game with a single to left field.

After Middle Georgia regained the lead with a run in the top of the third the Gyrenes put three runs on the board in the fourth to go up 7-5. After Caylor was walked and Blanchard was hit by another pitch, Gonzalez drove both in with a double. An error moved Gonzalez up to third, and the freshman scored on an RBI groundout off the bat of Harrison Rossi.

In the top of the fifth, Middle Georgia took control of the game, scoring six runs to open up an 11-7 lead. C. Lott started the frame with a solo home run, and a wild pitch would allow the Knights to tie the game. An error gave MGA the lead for good, and another wild pitch widened the lead to 9-7. The final two runs came across on a single from Wilson and a double from Metcalfe.

AMU scored a run in each of the final two innings, while Middle Georgia scored twice in the top of the ninth. Gonzalez added another RBI with a double in the eighth, while Ave Maria's final run came on a sacrifice fly from Michael Signorelli. Metcalfe accounted for both of the Middle Georgia runs with a single and an ensuing error.

The two teams will meet again Saturday for the finale of the series, which is scheduled for noon at Bowie's Ballpark in Ave Maria.