MIAMI GARDENS, Fla.- The Ave Maria University softball team played right with one of the top 40 teams in the nation for three games, but could not emerge with a win in a three-game series against the St. Thomas University Bobcats. Ave Maria dropped decisions of 4-1, 3-2, and 2-1 against the Bobcats, with the first game played Friday and two more following on Saturday.

Ave Maria grabbed the lead in the first game of the series, scoring a run in the top of the second. Ashley Nelson led off the frame with a hit by pitch, then moved around to third with two outs, where Maya Gonzalez gave AMU the lead with an RBI single. That lead would not last long, as St. Thomas scored four runs in the bottom of the second, supplying the entirety of the game's offense.

The single from Gonzalez proved to be Ave Maria's only hit on Friday evening. The sophomore from Orlando was also Ave Maria's standout in the circle, where she tossed 4.2 scoreless innings of work after entering the game in the second inning. 

AMU was three outs away from taking game two, but eventually fell in extra innings to the Bobcats. After a St. Thomas run in the bottom of the fourth, Ave Maria pulled ahead with a two-run triple in the top of the fifth, thanks to Ashley Lykins, who plated Annabella Phillips and Karsyn Moore. AMU took that lead into the seventh, but the Bobcats scored once in the seventh before walking off in the bottom of the eighth.

Five different Gyrenes had one hit each in the first game on Saturday, led by the triple from Lykins and a double from Phillips. Gina Gallegos got the start for AMU in the circle, and gave the Gyrenes a chance to win the game with six strong innings of work, allowing just one run on three hits.

St. Thomas finished off the sweep in game three, as two runs in the bottom of the first inning held up. Ave Maria made it interesting with a run in the top of the sixth, though. Gonzalez drove in her second run of the week, bringing home Lykins, who started with inning with a single to right field, on an RBI groundout that would end the weekend's scoring.

Once again, no Gyrene had more than one hit in the losing effort, with six Gyrenes accounting for six singles. The top pitcher was Kaedyn Sutton, who came out of the bullpen to throw the final four innings. The sophomore from Ohio did not allow the Bobcats to score in her four innings of work, where she scattered four hits.

Despite the three losses, Ave Maria mostly controls their own destiny to qualify for The Sun Conference Tournament. The Gyrenes could go a long way towards qualifying for the conference tournament in their final home series, where AMU will host three games against the Lions of Florida Memorial University. The final home series of the season will consist of one game Friday and two on Saturday.