AVE MARIA, Fla. — The Ave Maria baseball team closed opening weekend in style as they swept Saturday's doubleheader against the Wayland Baptist Pioneers to win the series. The Gyrenes scored at least one run in 10 of the 14 innings they batted in throughout the day as Ave Maria won the first game 9-6 and the second game 12-6.
Unlike the first two games of the season on Friday, Ave Maria opened the scoring in both contests on Saturday. In the seven-inning game one, Kyle Magdic put the Gyrenes on the board in the first inning with the first homer of the season for Ave Maria. Magdic's fourth career home run at Ave Maria was a two-run blast that brought Michael Kelly home with him as well.
Ave Maria scrapped another two runs in the second inning with an RBI groundout from Michael Ciscar and an RBI single from Magdic to take a 4-0 lead.
Wayland Baptist cut the lead in half with a run in the third and fourth innings, but that was as close as the Pioneers would get in game one.
The Gyrenes brought home another two runs in the bottom of the fourth. Magdic got a career-high fourth RBI off a single to left field that scored Kelly again. In the next at bat, Anthony Fernandez brought home Ri'Shon Pearl with a sacrifice fly.
The fifth inning saw Ave Maria score just one run for the first time as Joe Manesiotis came home to score on a passed ball.
After a Wayland Baptist run in the top of the sixth, Ave Maria scored their final two run in the bottom half with an RBI single from Pearl and an RBI walk drawn by Manesiotis.
On the mound, freshman Christopher Risola started game one of the doubleheader and tossed a solid 3.1 innings while only allowing two runs off five hits and two walks. Risola was relieved in the fourth after the first two batters from Wayland Baptist got aboard and a sacrifice bunt moved them over to scoring position. Joe Ferri came out of the bullpen and tossed a solid 3.1 innings as well and kept the Pioneers at bay.
Ferri tried to finish the game in the seventh, but Wayland Baptist showed some fight in the final frame and brought three runs across the plate to get within three of the Gyrenes. Ave Maria went to the bullpen one more time and pulled out Caleb Niese who ended the game with a strikeout.
Ferri got the win in his first ever game at Ave Maria and Niese got his first save.
Game two saw even more scoring from the Gyrenes as they brought home 12 runs in eight innings. AMU lit up the scoreboard in the first three frames of the game, keeping up with the pace they set in game one.
Two runs scored in the first after a bases loaded double play brought home Kelly and an RBI single from Will Flaherty scored Pearl.
A wild pitch brought home the third run in the second inning and a two-RBI double in the third from Karson Green put the Gyrenes up 5-2.
Ave Maria was held scoreless for the next three innings. In the top half of the innings, Wayland Baptist scrounged together two runs to get within one with three innings left to play.
The Pioneers felt like they had a chance until the Gyrenes put together their first big inning of the season, bringing home five runs in the bottom of the seventh. Two wild pitches brought home the first two runs for the Gyrenes, but then Kelly got in on the fun with an RBI double to score Edwin Silverio Jr. Kelly was brought home by an RBI single from Magdic, who in turn was brought home by an RBI double from Anthony Fernandez.
The big inning blew the game wide open, and Ave Maria cruised to finish line. Wayland Baptist scored two runs in the top of the eighth, but a couple of Pioneer errors in the bottom half led to the Gyrenes getting those runs right back.
In the top of the ninth, the game was called in favor of the Gyrenes two outs early due to heavy rain taking over Bowie's ballpark.
On the mound, Niese started game four of the series as an opener immediately after recording the save in game three. Niese tossed 1.1 innings with the only blemish being a home run allowed in the second. Alex Morrison was first out of the bullpen for the Gyrenes and tossed 3.2 innings and getting the win for the Gyrenes. Luke Burley pitched the next 2.2 and did a very good job in his first ever collegiate pitching appearance. William Campo tossed the final two outs of the game before the rain took over and got the save as the Gyrenes swept the day and won the series.
"I'm really proud of our kids. I mean they really competed all weekend," said head coach Rob Cooper following the sweep. "They were together [and had] good energy. I thought we played the game pretty clean for the most part. And the good thing is I think we have a long way to go to get better and that's good, like you can build off stuff. Just really proud of the effort of the kids, great turnout by the kids on campus and the people here. It was a good weekend."
With the two wins, Ave Maria starts the 2026 campaign with a 3-1 record.
The Gyrenes are home for their next series as they host another four-game set, this time against the Indiana Southeast Grenadiers. It will be the first ever meeting between the two programs on the baseball diamond.
The series kicks off Friday, January 30, with a doubleheader. Game one is set to start at 3 p.m. and will be followed by game two at 6 p.m. Both games will be streamed live on the Urban Edge Network.
