AVE MARIA, Fla.- The Ave Maria University baseball team saw some more history made on Friday afternoon in the team's Sun Conference series opener with the No. 18 Warner University Royals at Bowie's Ballpark. Despite an 8-4 loss at the hands of the visitors from Lake Wales, junior infielder Daniel Caylor became Ave Maria's all-time leader in runs scored, crossing home plate for the 118th time.
Trailing 1-0 in the bottom of the third inning, the Gyrenes took the lead with Caylor's record-setting run. Hayden Sullivan led off the inning with a single, and Caylor followed with a single of his own. A double steal put runners on second and third, with Sullivan scoring on an RBI groundout from Tanner Kelly. Caylor's 118th run came on a single from Kolby Blanchard, which gave Ave Maria a 2-1 lead at the time.
Caylor's 118th run broke a school record that has stood for nine years. The previous record-holder, Alex Sanchez, scored 117 runs over his four years at Ave Maria, which included a trip to the NAIA Tournament in 2013. Sanchez, who still holds the school's career records in games played and hits, would go on to play professional baseball in the Chicago Cubs organization.
Warner would take control of the game by scoring the next seven runs, beginning with two in the top of the fourth on a two-out, two-run single from Tyler Brown. Four more Royal runs would cross the plate in the fifth, powered by RBI singles from Jan Martinez and Brian Spradlin, as well as a two-run single from Brandon Crosby. The last of Warner's eight runs came in the sixth, courtesy of an RBI single from Casey Mawhinney.
Ave Maria tried to get back in it with two runs in the bottom of the eighth, but that was as close as the Gyrenes would get. Jose Gonzalez drew a walk, his second of the day, with one out, and moved up to second on a Dylan Moser single. David Leonardi would follow with a single of his own, and both runners would come around to score when Leonardi's single skipped past the Warner centerfielder.
In relief of starter Cameron Horner, Callan Carn had a standout performance for the Gyrenes. Entering in the sixth inning, the sophomore tossed 3.1 scoreless innings, allowing just one hit while striking out three Warner hitters. Offensively, three Gyrenes logged multiple hits, as Blanchard, Moser, and Leonardi all had two singles in the losing effort.
The series is still on the table for the Gyrenes, with a doubleheader awaiting the teams at Bowie's Ballpark on Saturday. First pitch of the opening game is scheduled for noon, with either a Warner attempt at a sweep or a rubber match following 30 minutes after the conclusion of the opener.
