AVE MARIA, Fla.- The Ave Maria University softball team could not find the big hit Friday afternoon, and dropped their Sun Conference opener to the Bobcats of St. Thomas University, 3-1, at the AMU Softball Complex. The Gyrenes left seven runners on base, including five in scoring position, and committed three errors in the conference defeat, which came in game one of a three-game series that continues Saturday.
St. Thomas grabbed the early lead with a run in the top of the second inning. STU cleanup hitter Marla Lavado led off the frame with a double to deep centerfield, and pinch runner Isabella Fernandez moved up to third on a Jade Fayad sacrifice bunt. The Bobcats got on the board thanks to a bloop single from Ariana Manzanarez, giving the visitors a 1-0 lead.
Ave Maria left runners in scoring position in the first and second innings, but finally broke through in the bottom of the third. Marisa Michi started the offense with a one-out double, and a bloop single from Maya Gonzalez put runners on the corners with one out. Ashley Nelson lined the first pitch she saw into right field, scoring Gonzalez from third and evening the score at one. Ave Maria would proceed to load the bases in the inning, but eventual winning pitcher Abbigail Smith was able to escape the jam.
The game would remain tied until the top of the sixth, when St. Thomas scored two runs that would prove to be decisive. Natalie Kopicova clubbed a triple to left center with one out, and Lavado drew a walk to put runners on the corners. Fayad then gave St. Thomas the lead with a sacrifice fly that also saw Lavado move up to second. An error allowed the Bobcats to extend their lead to two runs, as pinch runner Dovie Jarc scored on the AMU miscue.
Despite taking the loss, freshman righthander Kaedyn Sutton pitched well for the Gyrenes. The freshman scattered five hits over her seven innings in the circle, marking her seventh complete game of the season. Only two of her three runs allowed were earned, and the Ohio native added two strikeouts in her ninth start of the campaign.
AMU outhit the Bobcats 6-5 in the losing effort, with six of Ave Maria's nine starters recording one hit each. Michi and Karsyn Moore were the lone Gyrenes with an extra base hit, with Moore adding a second inning double to Michi's two bagger in the third. Ashley Nelson was the lone Gyrene to reach base twice, adding a walk in the first inning to her single in the third.
After playing the opener of the series on Friday, the Gyrenes and Bobcats will now play a doubleheader Saturday with the series still up for grabs. The twinbill is slated for a 1:00 p.m. first pitch at the AMU Softball Complex, with the series finale coming 30 minutes after the conclusion of Saturday's opener.
