BOCA RATON, Fla.- The Ave Maria University softball team finished a stretch of 16 consecutive games away from home on Tuesday afternoon, playing a doubleheader with NCAA Division II Lynn University in Boca Raton. The Knights won the opener 9-1 in five innings, but the Gyrenes took the hosts to the limit in the nightcap before falling on a walk-off, 3-2.

Lynn took control of the opening game early, scoring a run in the first and five more in the bottom of the second. The lone run in the first inning came on a double with two outs, while the Knights needed just two hits to score the five runs in the second, thanks to three walks and a hit by pitch.

Ave Maria finally got on the board in the top of the fifth. Maggie Hampton singled to lead off the frame, and moved to second on a fielder's choice off the bat of Marisa Michi. Morgan Grimm then continued her stretch of red-hot play, hitting safely for the tenth consecutive game with an RBI single. Lynn responded with three runs in the bottom of the fifth, ending the game early due to the run rule.

Five different Gyrenes had a hit in the opener - Hampton, Grimm, Elena Dybiec, Ryanne Saluter, and Annie Nudera - all of which were singles. 

In the nightcap, Ave Maria struck first in the top of the second, with Lynn answering with a run of their own in the bottom half. Grimm walked to lead off the inning, reaching base for the eleventh game in a row. Saluter added another single, and Trinity Duran did the same to load the bases. With one out, Ashlyn Wilkes drove in Grimm with a sacrifice fly. Lynn answered with an RBI single in the bottom half, but Cecilia Garrett threw out the go-ahead run at the plate. 

Lynn took the lead with a run in the bottom of the fourth, but one big swing of the bat tied the game for Ave Maria in the sixth. With two outs in the inning, Kylee Lewis blasted her third home run of the season. Lewis' third home run made her the current leader on the AMU roster in homers. The game would remain tied at two into the bottom of the seventh, when Lynn got a two-out single to earn a walk-off win. 

Kassandra Clark did well in a starting role for the Gyrenes, allowing just two runs over four innings in the circle while striking out four Lynn hitters. Alissa Bolinger entered the game in the fifth, and kept the Knights off the board for 2.2 innings until the final play of the game. Six different Gyrenes added hits, accounting for five singles and the Lewis homer. Adding hits other than those already mentioned were Michi, Wilkes, and Gracie Lopez.

Ave Maria is back at home for the first time in almost a month on Wednesday afternoon, hosting Columbia International University in doubleheader action. First pitch at the AMU Softball Field is scheduled for noon.