AVE MARIA, Fla.- The Ave Maria University baseball team could not contain the offensive firepower of the Warner University Royals on Saturday, as the No. 18 Royals completed a Sun Conference sweep with victories of 6-1 and 20-11 at Bowie's Ballpark in Ave Maria. Saturday's game marked the end of a week where the Gyrenes played five games, all against nationally ranked teams.
Ave Maria had an early lead in the opening game of the doubleheader, scoring a run in the bottom of the first. Daniel Caylor led off the Gyrene half of the inning with a single, but was subsequently picked off. Tanner Kelly then singled on a bunt, then scored when Kolby Blanchard clubbed a double to right field, giving Ave Maria a 1-0 lead through one inning.
Warner scored a run in the top of the second inning to tie the game, then took the lead for good with two runs in the fourth. The Royals would proceed to score one run each in the fifth, eighth, and ninth innings to pad their lead. The runs in the fifth and ninth innings were provided via home runs, as Jake Woodley and Tyler Brown cleared the fence for the visiting Royals.
Dylan Moser was the lone Gyrene with two hits in the second game of the series, logging a single and a double in the losing effort. Ave Maria's pitching was split between Brandon Willoughby and Kolby Pemberton - Willoughby tossed the first six innings, while Pemberton closed out the game with the final three. On the other side of the field, Warner's John Bean threw a complete game to earn the win for the visitors.
The second game was a back-and-fourth affair that eventually saw Warner pull away late. The Royals held a 6-1 lead after an inning and a half, but a run in the bottom of the second and four more in the third from Ave Maria tied the score at six. Warner would score the next three runs, but AMU would again answer to tied the score at nine through five. The final four innings were all Royals, though, as Warner outscored Ave Maria 11-2 from the sixth inning on to clinch the sweep.
Tanner Kelly had a huge performance at the plate for the Gyrenes, belting two home runs and driving in five. Jose Gonzalez concluded his record-breaking week with three hits, all singles, and two more runs batted in to add to his single season AMU record. Francesco Barbieri drove in three runs with just one hit, logging a two-run single and a sacrifice fly.
Despite the sweep at the hands of Warner, the Gyrenes are still firmly in the hunt for a spot in The Sun Conference Tournament. The Gyrenes face a must-win series next weekend when AMU travels to Thomasville, Georgia for three games against the Night Hawks of Thomas University. Thomas is currently 0-12 in Sun Conference play, giving Ave Maria the opportunity to make up ground in the league standings.
