AVE MARIA, Fla. — The Ave Maria Baseball team opened the 2025 season at home Friday and won both games of a doubleheader against the Point Skyhawks in two different, but equally dominating fashions. Game one saw the Gyrenes overpower the Skyhawks on the mound and win a low-scoring pitcher's duel 1-0. Game two was a completely different story and saw Ave Maria light up the night sky at the plate, pouring on the runs to win 13-2.
The first game of the 2025 season was a classic pitcher's duel between Ave Maria's Hunter Cashero and Point's Max Beaulieu. Both teams only used one pitcher with both starters going the distance in the shortened seven inning game.
For Ave Maria, Cashero was precise and efficient on the mound. The senior transfer from the University of Kansas only needed 77 pitches to notch a complete game shutout in his Ave Maria debut. It is the first seven-inning complete game shutout for Ave Maria since March 27, 2024, when Blake Albritton blanked the Fort Lauderdale Eagles. Cashero also struck out eight batters in the game.
The lone blemish were five hits allowed to the Point Skyhawks, however usually with two outs on the board. Despite runners getting on, Cashero and the Ave Maria defense stepped up to keep the goose egg on the board.
The lone difference in the game came in the second inning with another transfer making his mark on the Gyrenes early. Jordan Crawford, a senior transfer from Mid-America Christian, hit a solo bomb over the tall wall in right field for the first home run of the season.
The dinger was only one of two hits the Gyrenes registered in the game, but it was enough to give Ave Maria 1-0 victory.
In between the two games of the doubleheader, Ave Maria had a ceremonial turning on of the lights as the Gyrenes prepared to play their first ever night game at Bowie's Ballpark. The lights were a generous gift from the Peter and Caroline Striano Foundation.
The Gyrenes did not disappoint in the highly anticipated night games, bringing home 13 runs off 11 hits. Ave Maria scored in every inning they stepped up to the plate and brought home multiple runs in all but one inning.
The scoring opened with the second home run of the season, this time off the bat of Tanner Kelly. The graduate student blasted a two run shot in the first inning to give Ave Maria an early lead they would not lose.
The second inning was the highest scoring inning for the Gyrenes, bringing home four runs a Harrison Rossi single, a Michael Kelly groundout, and a wild pitch from the Skyhawks.
After AMU got another run in the third, Point got on the board for the first time in the 2025 season, bringing home two runs in the fourth to make it 7-2.
The Gyrenes did not waiver, as they responded with three more runs in the bottom half of the inning, all off wild pitches.
The Gyrenes scored two more runs in the fifth of a double from Tanner Kelly and a single from Crawford and then scored their final run of the game in the sixth inning off an RBI single from Michael Kelly.
On the mound, the Gyrenes continued to take care of business. Kevin Figueredo started the game and got the win, pitching the first four innings and only allowing two runs off four hits and three walks. Figueredo also struck out two batters.
In the fifth, the Gyrenes went to the bullpen and brought out Luke Zmolik who put together the most impressive stat line of the day. The senior threw a perfect three innings to close the game out, striking out all nine batters he faced. Nine strikeouts is a career high for Zmolik, who hit seven strikeouts twice last season. Zmolik also got the first save of the season for the Gyrenes, tossing the final three innings of the game.
With the wins, Ave Maria starts the 2025 campaign off 2-0 and with a win in the very first night game at Bowie's Ballpark. Ave Maria closes out the non-conference series against Point with a doubleheader Saturday. First pitch is scheduled for noon with game two set to start thirty minutes following the conclusion of game one. Both games will be streamed live on the Sun Digital Network.
