AVE MARIA, Fla.- A five-run sixth inning completed the comeback Friday afternoon as the Ave Maria University baseball team beat the Thomas Night Hawks 12-7 in the season opener.
The bats started off very hot for both teams, especially in the first inning. In the initial frame, the visiting Night Hawks brought home three runs off Gyrene starter Ryan Schroeder. Luckily, AMU responded in similar fashion. With the bases loaded and only one out, Francesco Barbieri brought Cole Rasbury home on a fielder's choice grounder to short. The Night Hawk's shortstop tried to turn a double play to end the inning, going to second for the out, but the second baseman couldn't get the throw to first in time to tag out the speedy Barbieri.
David Leonardi was next to step up to the plate and made Thomas pay for not turning the double play. He stepped into a pitch that was right over the plate and sent the ball out of the park for the first home run of the 2023 season and gave Ave Maria a 4-3 lead. Leonardi was tied for the most home runs on the team in 2022 with 11 and showed that he is ready to pickup where he left off last year.
The Night Hawks came right back in the subsequent inning, tying the game at 4 in the top of the second.
In the bottom of the third, the Gyrenes took back the lead thanks again to Leonardi. The junior from Southwest Ranches, Florida, slapped a one-out double to right field, stole third during the next at bat, and then scored off a wild pitch in another at bat, putting Ave Maria back up 5-4.
Again, the Night Hawks didn't trail for very long. In the subsequent half inning, Luiz Rodrigues-Gallo matched Leonardi with a three-run home run of his own and put Thomas up 7-5. Following the dinger, the bats cooled down on both sides and the defense and pitching began to step up for the next two innings.
In the top of the fifth, the Gyrenes made a call to the bullpen, bringing in Brandon Willoughby for Schroeder. Despite the seven runs allowed, Schroeder pitched well in his opening 4.2 innings of the season. He struck out a career high 10 batters and only issued three walks. 10 of the 14 outs that were recorded while Schroeder was on the mound were strikeouts. Schroeder just left a couple balls over the plate that the Night Hawks were able to turn into hits and runs in the early parts of the game.
Willoughby took over in the fifth inning for Schroeder and pitched a lights out final 4.1 innings. He only allowed one hit and two walks while on the mound, for a sub-one WHIP to start the season. Willoughby also struck out four batters, bringing the team's total to 14.
After two quiet innings at the plate for Ave Maria, the Gyrenes struck back and struck back hard in the sixth inning. Tanner Kelly got things started off for the AMU with a leadoff single and stolen base. A Jose Gonzalez single then put runners at the corners for Tynan Shahidi, a transfer from Tennessee Tech. Shahidi then recorded his first hit as a Gyrene with an RBI double to left field, that scored Kelly, moved Gonzalez to third, and brought Ave Maria within one. A passed ball in the next at bat brought home Gonzalez and moved to Shahidi to third, tying the game at seven. Barbieri then got his second RBI of the day with a single to center filed that scored Shahidi and gave the Gyrenes an 8-7 lead.
The Night Hawks went to the bullpen following relinquishing the lead, but it was no help against the Gyrene bats. After a stolen base and wild pitch, Barbieri was brought home off a Leonardi sacrifice fly, registering as his fourth RBI of the game.
Ave Maria scored their final run of the inning off an odd play. With runners on the corners, pinch runner Eric Havner got caught in a pickle between first and second after a pickoff attempt from the Night Hawks pitcher. While he was dancing on the line between first and second, the runner on third, Daniel Caylor, took the opportunity to try and score. Thomas's second baseman noticed this and fired the ball home to try and beat Caylor at the plate, but the throw was too high for the Night Hawks catcher to catch the ball and make the tag, allowing Caylor to score. The play was ruled an error on the Night Hawks second baseman because if the throw had been a little lower and on target, a tag could have beaten Caylor at the plate. Havner reached second safely once the defense's focus switched from him to Caylor.
The Gyrenes scored their final two runs in the eighth inning off a Caylor RBI single that scored Barbieri and a Rasbury sac fly that scored Caylor.
With the win, the Gyrenes start the 2023 season 1-0 overall and 1-0 in conference play. The game lasted 3 hours and 42 minutes, which was an extended time for a baseball game due to both teams combining for 19 runs. The two teams began to play a second game following the first in attempt to a get a doubleheader in, but the second game had to be called following the sixth inning due to the sun setting. That game will be resumed Saturday, January 28, at 11:00 a.m. with game three of the opening series starting 30 minutes following the conclusion of game two. Both games will be broadcasted on the Sun Digital Network.
