AVE MARIA, Fla. — The Ave Maria softball team opened their 2025 home season Friday afternoon as they split a doubleheader with the Oklahoma Wesleyan Eagles. The Gyrenes pounded the Eagles in the first game, winning 11-0 in five innings. However, in the second game, errors plagued the AMU defense as they fell 6-4.
The Gyrenes scored all 11 of their runs in just two innings of the first game. Ave Maria opened the scoring in the second with a 2-RBI single from Neveah Wing that brought home Mary McIntire and Alexa Hehl. It was the first RBI for Wing since game three of the season on January 31.
The rest of the runs came in the fourth inning for Ave Maria as the Gyrenes brought nine home on 10 hits. The scoring started right away for the Gyrenes. Sienna Frankin led the frame off with a single and it was off to the races. Ave Maria got RBI hits from Annabella Phillips, Hehl, Cecilia Garrett, Wing, Haleigh Campbell and then Hehl again. If the bases got empty from all the RBI knocks, the Gyrenes would just refill then with more base hits.
Nine runs and 10 hits are the most in an inning this season for the Gyrenes. It is the most runs scored in an inning since March 6, 2024, when the Gyrenes put nine on the board against Bethel in the sixth inning of a USSSA Space Coast game, and the most hits since February 5, 2018, when Ave Maria notched 12 against Trinity Baptist in the fourth inning to bring home 14 runs.
Kaedyn Sutton worked a clean 1-2-3 inning in the top of the fifth to finish off the Eagles and get the complete game. It is the first win of the season for Sutton, and she punctuated it with her lone strikeout of the game.
Ath the plate, Wing led the team with three hits and four RBI. Phillips and Hehl also had multi-hit games while Hehl was the only other player with multiple RBI, bringing home three runs.
Game two was much more balanced between the teams as the Gyrene defense gave some favors to the Oklahoma Wesleyan bats.
OKWU scored all six of their runs in the first three innings, two in each frame. All but of the runs were unearned as the Gyrenes committed four errors in those innings.
Ave Maria got one run back in the bottom of the first and then two runs in the third to make it a 6-3 game. Ashley Lykins scored the third run when she tagged up on a sacrifice fly from Phillips.
Unfortunately, the inning was cut short as the Eagles were able to record a second out on the same play, tagging out Brigid Hood trying to go two bases on sac fly.
The Gyrenes found the scoreboard again in the fifth adding one more run with an RBI single from Hailey Howe, scoring Wing. That put the tying run at the plate for the Gyrenes, but they couldn't get any closer to the Eagles.
Oklahoma Wesleyan only allowed one more baserunner after that as they closed out against Ave Maria to win 6-4.
With the split, Ave Maria's record moves to 2-7-1.
The Gyrenes are right back on the diamond Saturday, February 15, with another doubleheader, this time against the Florida National Conquistadors. It is the second of three doubleheaders to start the home season for the Gyrenes, with the third being Thursday, February 20. FNU has played far fewer games than the Gyrenes coming in with just a 3-2 record. Four of those five games were against Sun Conference opponents with the Conquistadors sweeping the New College of Florida Mighty Banyans and splitting with the Florida Memorial Lions. First pitches are set for 1 and 3 p.m. and the game will be streamed live on the Sun Digital Network.
