WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — There are only three certainties in life: death, taxes and the Ave Maria Baseball team splitting a doubleheader in conference play. Friday the Gyrenes split their ninth consecutive Sun Conference doubleheader, this time against the No. 23 Keiser Seahawks, falling in game one 10-6 and then coming back to win 5-4 in the second game.

The Gyrenes trailed for the entirety of game one. The Seahawks opened the game with three runs in the bottom of the first with an RBI single, sacrifice fly and double.

After the opening frame, both pitchers settled in and kept the other team quiet for the next four innings. Owen Johnson made his sixth start of the year on the mound and threw the first five innings for the Gyrenes. He exited the game with just the three runs allowed off five hits and three walks while striking out four batters.

Ave Maria got their first run of the game in the top of the sixth inning with an RBI single from Dakota Jones to score Jesus Gonzalez. The Gyrenes got another run in the top of the seventh to get within one of the Seahawks. This time, it was Jimmy Coffey slapping an RBI single to center field to bring home Caleb Metzen who had come in to courtesy run for the catcher Sebastian Cabeza.

Now down just one run, the Gyrenes had some momentum, but Keiser put together another three-run inning to go up 6-2.

Ave Maria responded similarly with a three-run inning of their own. After getting two runners on, a wild pitch brought home Gonzalez for the first run of the frame. Cabeza then popped a ball up in the outfield, but it was bobbled by the center fielder which allowed him to reach base and Tanner Kelly to score. A Harrison Rossi single brought home Michael Kelly and brought the Gyrenes back within one of the Seahawks.

Back within a run, the Gyrenes were feeling good. However, their sails were deflated with the Seahawks brought home four more runs in the bottom of the eighth to go up 10-5.

Ave Maria got one final run in the top of the ninth with an RBI double from Gonzalez to bring home Kyle Van Liere, but that was all the Gyrenes would get as they dropped the morning game of the doubleheader.

The second game of the doubleheader was the designated seven-inning game of the four-game series. It was a much tighter and lower scoring game than the first game of the twin bill.

This time it was the Gyrenes who opened the scoring, bringing home the first run in the top of the first. Jordan Crawford drove a single through the right side and brought home Tanner Kelly to put AMU up 1-0.

The Seahawks then scattered three runs across three innings to take a 3-1 lead at the end of five innings.

In the top of the sixth, Ave Maria had their biggest inning of the day, bringing home four runs to retake the lead. Jones brought home the first two runs with a two-RBI single that scored Gonzalez and Tanner Kelly. A few at bats later, Micheal Kelly went deep over the left field wall for a two-run blast that put the Gyrenes up 5-3. It is the sixth homer of the season for Kelly, tying him with his brother and Crawford for the most on the team.

Keiser tacked on one more run in the bottom of the sixth, but the Gyrenes went to the bullpen to shut them down. Senior Hunter Cashero made his 11^th start of the season and finished with 5.1 innings pitched, four runs off three hits and seven walks while striking out two batters. It wasn't his most dominant performance of the season, but it was enough to get his second win of the year.

Isaac Hines came out of the bullpen and stranded the tying run to keep the Gyrenes in front. IN the seventh, Hines worked a 1-2-3 frame to secure the win and get his first save of the season.

Gonzalez led the team with four hits in the doubleheader, registering a multi-hit game in both games. Tanner Kelly had a multi-hit in game one and Coffey had a multi-hit game in game two as well.

With the split, Ave Maria's record moves to 19-19 overall and 9-9 in conference play. With the split, the Gyrenes remained locked in a three-way tie for fourth place in the Sun Conference. Of the nine conference splits this season, it is the fifth time Ave Maria has won the second game to get the split.

The Gyrenes close out the road series Saturday, April 5, with another doubleheader against the Keiser Seahawks. It will be the final two road games of the regular season for the Gyrenes who end 2025 with 10 straight games at home starting April 11. First pitches on Saturday are set for 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. and both games will be streamed live on the Sun Digital Network.