MIAMI GARDENS, Fla.- The Ave Maria University baseball team could not hang on to a 6-4 lead in the bottom of the ninth Tuesday afternoon, and dropped a 7-6 decision to the Lions of Florida Memorial University in Miami Gardens. Ave Maria held leads of 3-1 after six and a half innings and 6-4 after eight, but the Lions scored three in the final half innings to walk off in the non-conference midweek game, AMU's last of the 2022 season.
Florida Memorial took an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first, and held that lead until the fourth inning. In the fourth, the Gyrenes manufactured a run to get on the board. Jose Gonzalez clubbed his 18th double of the season to lead off the frame, then stole third with one out. David Leonardi evened the score with his sacrifice fly to center field.
Another sacrifice fly in the fifth inning gave Ave Maria their first lead of the afternoon. Eli Garcia hit a single to right field with one out, and moved up to second on his 23rd steal of the season. After a double from Jimmy Coffey put runners on second and third with just one out, Daniel Caylor put the Gyrenes ahead 2-1 with a sac fly to left field.
Ave Maria's lead again widened in the top of the seventh, with Kolby Blanchard doing much of the work himself. The outfielder was hit by a pitch, stole second, and took third on a balk, all with no outs. Ethan Bergkamp walked and stole second to put two runners on, and Garcia followed with an RBI groundout, making it 3-1 Gyrenes. Florida Memorial's bats came alive in the seventh, with three Lions runs crossing the plate to give the hosts a 4-3 lead.
Now down by a run, the Gyrenes answered with three runs in the top of the eighth to go back in front. The inning started with a walk to Caylor and a single from Tanner Kelly. The next batter, Gonzalez, hit his second double of the game to score both runners and put AMU ahead, 5-4. Gonzalez would come around to score what Ave Maria hoped would be an insurance run, stealing third and crossing the plate on AMU's third sacrifice fly of the day, this one from Blanchard.
The two run lead would not hold, as Florida Memorial scored three times in the final half inning to claim the victory. The Lions loaded the bases on a hit by pitch, an error, and a single, then tied the game on a two-run single before winning it on a wild pitch.
Gyrene pitching did not surrender an earned run in the first five innings of the contest, which featured six AMU hurlers getting the ball. Kevin Figueredo, Cameron Horner, and Nyk Crumrine combined to allowed just one unearned run through five, while Justin David also added a scoreless frame in the eighth inning, keeping Ave Maria ahead at the time.
Likely the most important series of the season awaits the Gyrenes this weekend at Bowie's Ballpark. Facing the Sand Sharks of the University of South Carolina Beaufort, AMU will need to win the series to have any chance at qualifying for The Sun Conference Tournament. The series starts with a Friday doubleheader, and concludes with Senior Day on Saturday.
