KISSIMMEE, Fla.- The Ave Maria University softball team put together another split on Friday afternoon, taking one of two games at The Spring Games in Kissimmee. The Gyrenes could not get their bats going in the opener, a 6-0 loss to Spring Arbor University, but flipped the script in a major way in a 16-0 victory over the University of Northwestern Ohio in the nightcap.

Spring Arbor scored in four of their six trips to the plate, scoring two in the second, one in the fourth, two in the fifth, and the final run in the sixth. S. Matlock and J. Nowe both recorded two hits for the Cougars, while Abbie Funk was the lone player with two runs batted in. The lone AMU hitter with multiple hits was Marisa Michi, who had a pair of singles.

Ave Maria had runners in scoring position in each of the first three innings, but could not cash in. A pair of singles put runners on first and second with two outs in the first, while the second inning saw AMU with runners on second and third with one out. In the third inning, singles from Michi and Elena Dybiec had two runners on with two outs.

It didn't take long for the Gyrenes to erase their hitting woes from the opener, scoring three runs in the bottom of the first. Morgan Grimm drove in the first run with a sacrifice fly, and Gracie Lopez came around to score on a wild pitch to make it 2-0. With two outs, Ryanne Saluter provided run number three with a double to the left center field gap. 

A Cecilia Garrett single and a walk to Katelynn Sebastiani started the action in the bottom of the second. Garrett scored on an RBI single from Lopez, and Sebastiani was third following another walk to Michi. All three runners scored on a bases clearing double from Grimm, who scored herself on a sacrifice fly from Kylee Lewis.

Two more runs crossed the plate for the Gyrenes in the bottom of the third. Once again, Garrett and Sebastiani both reached, and stood on second and third with one out. Michi drove in Garrett with a sacrifice fly, and Grimm added her fifth RBI of the day with a single up the middle to score Sebastiani.

The game was brought to an early end after Ave Maria scored six runs in the bottom of the fourth. Sebastiani drove in the first run on a grounder that saw the sophomore reach on an error. Michi added two more RBIs with a single that made it 13-0, and an RBI single from Grimm gave the senior her sixth RBI of the day, a single-game program record. Lewis concluded the scoring with a two-run single.

On the other side of the field, Alissa Bolinger needed only one of the 16 runs of support she was given, as the sophomore shut out Northwestern Ohio. Bolinger struck out four hitters while scattering three hits over four innings, and the sophomore did not walk a batter.

Two more midwestern opponents await the Gyrenes on Saturday. The first opponent will come at 3:45 p.m. in the form of Trinity International University from Illinois. The game concludes at 6:00 p.m, when the Gyrenes take on Bethel University from Indiana.