AVE MARIA, Fla. — The Ave Maria Baseball team won their first conference series of the season, beating the Southeastern Fire three games to one. The Gyrenes split the series finale doubleheader on Saturday, winning the first game 13-2 in seven innings to clinch the weekend win before dropping the second game 6-4. It is the first series win over the Fire for Ave Maria since 2015.

In the first game, the Gyrenes run-ruled the Fire, winning by 11 runs in seven innings. It is the first time in almost six years to the day, April 13, 2019, that any team has run-ruled the Fire.

Southeastern opened the scoring with two runs in the top of the second, but the Gyrenes immediately responded with three runs of their own. After two quick outs, the Gyrenes stacked five hits in a row to bring home the three runs. Kyle Van Leire got the first RBI with a double that scored Jimmy Coffey and Harrison Rossi. Jesus Gonzalez then brought home Van Liere with a double of his own.

In the fifth, Ave Maria added three more runs to build up a 6-2 lead. Sebastian Cabeza drew a bases loaded walk to bring home the first run and then Coffey dropped a single into left field to bring home Michael Kelly and Jordan Crawford.

The Gyrenes scored the rest of their runs in the sixth inning, bringing home seven runs of five hits. Gonzalez got the inning started with a solo shot to left field, his second homer of the series. After a walk was issued to Tanner Kelly, Dakota Jones lit up the scoreboard again with an RBI triple, his first triple of the year. Jones came into score in the next at-bat on a wild pitch.

Ave Maria was three runs away from getting into mercy rule territory, and they leaped at the chance. The Gyrenes put two more runners back on the bag with just one out. Rossi got his first RBI of the game with a single to left field, bringing home Michael Kelly. A walk loaded the bases up once more and brought up Jesus Gonzalez again. In his second at-bat of the frame, the junior transfer smacked a bases clearing double to bring home the final runs of the game and put Ave Maria up 13-2.

Gonzalez led the team with three hits in the first game and a season-high five RBI, four of them coming in the sixth inning. Four other Gyrenes had a multi-hit game, Tanner Kelly, Rossi, Coffey and Van Liere all at two. Coffey and Van Leire also joined Gonzalez with multi-RBI games, both with two.

On the mound, Cam Horner made his 11^th start of the season and got his team-high fifth win. Horner tossed five innings, allowed just the two runs of four hits and four walks while striking out three. Isaac Hines followed him, making his second appearance of the weekend and tossed a quiet sixth inning. In the seventh, the Gyrenes went to Jeremy Fox to keep the mercy rule intact, and the junior did not disappoint, striking out three batters to end the game.

Heading into the series finale, the Gyrenes were looking to accomplish something they have never done in their 16 years as a program: sweep the Fire. For a good chunk of the game, the Gyrenes were in front, and it looked like they would pull it off. However, Southeastern put together a late inning rally to win.

Just like the first game of the doubleheader, Southeastern opened the scoring with a run in the third inning.

Ave Maria responded with four runs in the fifth inning to take the lead. With two runners on, Jones got his second triple of the doubleheader and of the season, bringing home Tanner Kelly and Gonzalez to go up 2-1. In the next at-bat, Crawford went deep over the right field fence for his eighth homer of the year, giving the Gyrenes a three-run lead. Eight home runs tie him with Gonzalez for the most on the team.

The Fire hit their first home run of the weekend in the top of the sixth inning, a two-run blast from Alfonso Villalobos, to pull within one of the Gyrenes. Southeastern got two more baserunners on but left then stranded. The score remained 4-3 for the sixth, seventh and eighth innings. Across the three frames, Southeastern left seven runners on the bags as the Gyrene pitching staff held onto the one-run lead.

In the top of the ninth, after living dangerously all game, the Gyrenes got burnt as Southeastern brought home three runs to take a 6-4 lead. In the bottom half with their backs against the walls, Ave Maria went three up, three down to end the game. After the big four-run fifth inning, the Gyrenes were held hitless for the final four frames.

Despite the 11^th split in league play, spirits were high for the Gyrenes as they got their first series win over Southeastern since 2015 and their fourth series win overall against the Fire.

Ave Maria's record moves to 23-21 overall and 13-11 in conference play. The Gyrenes are fourth in the Sun Conference standings and are just two games back of the first place Webber Warriors. Ave Maria is even with the third place Keiser Seahawks in games behind, but Keiser has played four less games than the Gyrenes, putting them ahead of Ave Maria.

The Gyrenes have a midweek doubleheader up next on the schedule before taking a weekend off for Easter. Ave Maria will take on the Fort Lauderdale Eagles Wednesday, April 16. First pitches are set for 3 and 6 p.m. and the game will be streamed live on the Sun Digital Network.