AVE MARIA, Fla.- The Ave Maria University softball team got their first Sun Conference win of the season on Saturday, splitting a doubleheader with the St. Thomas University Bobcats at the AMU Softball Complex. St. Thomas claimed the series with a 6-1 win in Saturday's opener, but the Gyrenes bounced back with a 5-3 win in the nightcap.
St. Thomas scored their first run of the game on an RBI single in the top of the first, while the Gyrenes got on the board with a run in the bottom of the third. AMU's run came via a two-out rally that Cecilia Garrett started with a single. Garrett stole second base, then scored when Annie Nudera drove her in with a single of her own, evening the score at one.
That run would be the last of the opener for the Gyrenes, as St. Thomas scored the final five runs in the game's final three innings. St. Thomas scored twice in the fifth inning on two run-scoring hits, a triple and a single. The Bobcats then added two more in the sixth on a single from Natalie Kopicova, then concluded the scoring in the seventh inning when Jade Fayad scored on a wild pitch.
Annie Nudera accounted for two of Ave Maria's three hits, with Garrett's third inning single accounting for the other. Garrett also stole Ave Maria's lone base of the afternoon. In the circle, Ashley Nelson allowed just one run over two innings of work, while Maya Gonzalez pitched the final five frames in relief.
For the first time in the series, game three saw the Gyrenes strike first. It was once again Nudera that sparked the AMU offense, as the junior started the inning with a single to left and moved to third on a bunt and a groundout. With two outs, Gonzalez got Ave Maria on the board with an RBI single to right field.
After St. Thomas grabbed the lead with two runs in the top of the second, the Gyrenes answered back with a run in the third, tying the game at two. Garrett and Nudera were once again part of the action, as a Garrett walk, a Nudera single, and a double steal put runners on second and third with no outs. Ryanne Saluter then drove in her first run of the day on a perfectly placed bunt that scored Garrett from third.
Ave Maria finally broke through for a multi-run inning in the bottom of the fourth, scoring twice to take the lead for good. After the inning started with two outs, it was once again Garrett and Nudera that provided a spark. Garrett singled and stole second base, and Nudera kept the inning alive with a hit by pitch. Saluter then came through with an RBI single, and Michi did the same to give the Gyrenes a 4-2 lead.
The Bobcats cut the Gyrene lead to one with a run in the top of the fifth, but AMU got that run back with a score in the bottom of the sixth. Yet again, Nudera helped to start the rally with a one-out single. She remained there with two outs, when Michi blooped a single to left field. Nudera was running on contact, and never stopped en route to her third run of the day. STU threatened in the seventh, but Saluter turned a 6-3 double play to snuff out the Bobcat threat.
Nudera had a monster game at the top of the Gyrene lineup, going 3-for-3 with three runs scored and a stolen base. Michi also added two hits and two RBIs, while Saluter drove in two runs of her own. In the circle, Kaedyn Sutton went the distance for AMU, allowing just one earned run over her seven innings of work.
AMU will now return to the USSSA Space Coast for four more games, with doubleheaders scheduled for March 13 and 14. The Gyrenes went 6-5 in their initial stay in Viera, and will begin round two with games against William Penn University and Concordia University on Monday, with first pitch against William Penn scheduled for 4:30 pm.
