AVE MARIA, Fla.- The Ave Maria University baseball team earned their first Sun Conference series victory of the season on Saturday, splitting a doubleheader with the Lions of Florida Memorial University at Bowie's Ballpark in Ave Maria. Coupled with Ave Maria's win in the opener on Friday, the 4-3 win in the series finale propelled the Gyrenes to take two out of three from the Lions, and move into a tie for the sixth and final spot with Florida Memoral and USCB in May's Sun Conference Tournament.
Florida Memorial won the opening game of the doubleheader, taking advantage of seven Ave Maria errors in a 9-5 victory. The Lions jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the first inning, then added two runs in the second and one more in the third. Of Ave Maria's errors, four of the seven came in this initial three-inning stretch.
Ave Maria battled back to within three runs in the bottom of the sixth, thanks to a five-spot. Jose Gonzalez homered to start the scoring, and a pair of singles from Dylan Moser and David Leonardi, as well as a hit by pitch, would load the bases. Francesco Barbieri drove in two runs with a single, and Jimmy Coffey added the fourth run of the inning on a sacrifice fly. Barbieri would account for his third run of the inning when he scored on a wild pitch. The game's scoring would conclude in the top of the eighth on a Lion sacrifice fly.
Ryan Schroeder pitched the first six innings of the contest, and the Gyrenes' bullpen combined to toss three innings without allowing an earned run. Kelton Little tossed a scoreless seventh inning, Justin David recorded an out in the eighth, and William Wentz struck out three of the six hitters he faced, recording the final five outs of the game for the Gyrenes.
Four consecutive productive at-bats gave Ave Maria a 1-0 lead in the first inning of game two. Daniel Caylor led off with a walk, and a Tanner Kelly single put runners on first and second. After a deep flyout from Kolby Blanchard moved both runners up 90 feet, Jose Gonzalez singled to center field to put the Gyrenes on the board. The Lions' first runs would come in the top of the third, when FMU scored twice to take a 2-1 edge.
The decisive runs of the game for Ave Maria came in the bottom of the third. Kelly would be hit by a pitch with one out, then would come all the way around for the tying run after a bunt single and an error off the bat of Blanchard. Gonzalez accounted for his second RBI of the game with a double to give AMU the lead for good, then scored what would prove to be a valuable insurance run on a wild pitch.
Kolby Pemberton, William Wentz, and Brandon Willoughby combined to allow just four hits to the Lions. Pemberton pitched the first inning, and Wentz came on in relief to pitch the next three, allowing two unearned runs on two hits and striking out four. The final five innings were the responsibility of Brandon Willoughby, who did not allow an earned run. Wentz was the winning pitcher, while Willoughby earned a rare five-inning save.
Ave Maria's next five opponents are ranked in the national top 20, a stretch that begins with a doubleheader against Webber International University at Bowie's Ballpark on Tuesday. The non-conference twinbill is scheduled for a noon first pitch.
