AVE MARIA, Fla. — The Ave Maria Gyrenes won game one of their series against the St. Thomas Bobcats 6-5 Friday afternoon. Tanner Kelly had a career day at the plate for AMU, going 4-for-5, and helped lead the Gyrenes to victory.
In the bottom of the first, Kelly got on base with an infield single down the third base line, increasing his record setting on-base streak to all 29 games of the season. A couple of batters later, David Leonardi brought him home with a ground rule double that bounced over the deepest part of the center field wall. After Daniel Caylor got hit by a pitch, Tynan Shahidi hit the second double of the inning for Ave Maria, scoring both runners and putting the Gyrenes up 3-0.
The Bobcats eventually tied the game at three a few innings later, bringing home one run in the third and a hitting a two-run homer in the fourth.
In the bottom of the fourth, the Gyrenes got back on the board regain the lead, a lead they wouldn't lose again. With two runners in scoring position, Leonardi got his second RBI of the game, hitting a sacrifice fly to right field scoring Kelly and moving Jose Gonzalez to third. Caylor, the next batter, with two outs, got on base via an error committed by the Bobcats' short stop, which allowed Gonzalez to score and give Ave Maria a 5-3 lead.
In the bottom of the sixth, the Gyrenes tacked on one more run with Gonzalez hitting a single up the middle that brought home Francesco Barbieri, who was courtesy running for the catcher Axel Melendez.
In the seventh inning, Brandon Willoughby came out on the mound, ending the day for the Gyrene starter, Cameron Horner. The sophomore from Madeira Beach, Florida, tossed six innings, allowed three runs off four hits.
Having pitched more than the requisite five innings and exiting with the lead, Horner earned his eighth win of the season, tying him with Zach Quayle of the 2013 season for the second most wins in a year in Ave Maria history.
Willoughby tossed 2.2 innings, allowed two runs off two hits, but struck out three batters. In the top of the ninth, the Bobcats got within one of the Gyrenes, and had the tying run 90 feet away at third base with two outs. Head Coach Michael McCormick decided to reach into the bullpen for the final out and called on Justin David to get it done. The STU batter worked a full count against David, and then sent a bloop shot to no-man's land in left field. The Gyrenes' defense converged on the ball and the short stop Kelly leaped over left fielder Connor James to catch the ball and come down with the final out of the game. David got his third save of the season, forcing the final out.
Kelly's four-hit game at the plate Friday was the first time a Gyrene had gotten more than three hits in a game this season. It also tied a career high for Kelly, who raked four hits against Montreat College last season.
With the win, the Gyrenes improve to 22-7 overall and 6-1 in Sun Conference play. The win counts as an upset win as the Bobcats were ranked #18 in the most recent NAIA poll and the Gyrenes were ranked #31.
Ave Maria finishes the series with St. Thomas Saturday, with a doubleheader against the Bobcats. First pitch is scheduled Noon with game two scheduled to start 30 minutes following the conclusion of the early game. Both games can be streamed on the Sun Digital Network either on the website or the app available on most cellular devices and smart TVs. Live stats can also be found on avemariagyrenes.com.
