FORT MYERS, Fla. — The Ave Maria Baseball team's 2026 campaign came to an end Friday afternoon as they fell to the St. Thomas Bobcats 13-9. The Gyrenes outscored the Bobcats 9-5 in the final six innings but could not eclipse the eight run hole they found themselves in at the end of the third.
St. Thomas opened the game strong with five runs in the second inning and three runs in the third. The Bobcats sent 17 batters to the plate as they brought home eight straight runs.
Ave Maria got a run back in the bottom of the fourth with an RBI single from Joe Manesiotis that scored Kyle Magdic.
St. Thomas responded in the top of the fifth with four more runs, taking a 12-1 lead.
The Gyrenes began to chip away at the lead, scoring a run in the fifth, three runs in the sixth and a run in the seventh. Anthony Fernandez brought home Patrick Corley in the fifth with a sacrifice fly. In the sixth, Michael Ciscar slapped a pinch hit RBI single to left field that scored Manesiotis. Ciscar was brought in a few batters later off a sacrifice fly from Corley. Michael Kelly brought in the final run of the frame with an RBI fielder's choice that scored Kelton Klemcke. In the seventh, it was an RBI sacrifice fly from Manesiotis that scored Magdic. At the end of the seventh, Ave Maria had moved within six of the Bobcats.
St. Thomas added one more run in the top of the eighth and then held Ave Maria scoreless in the bottom half for the first time since the third inning.
With their backs against the wall, Ave Maria put up a fight in the ninth, bringing home three runs. With two runners aboard, Ciscar got his second RBI of the game with a double to left field that scored Magdic and moved Manesiotis to third. Omari Swinton then courtesy ran for Ciscar and was brought home along with Manesiotis by a two-RBI single form Caleb Metzen. The hit put the potential tying run in the hole for the Gyrenes, but back-to-back flyouts ended the game before Ave Maria could really make it interesting.
The Gyrenes used seven pitchers in the game, with none of them tossing more than three innings. As a unit, AMU's pitching staff struck out 10 batters.
At the plate, Manesiotis and Magdic tied for the team lead with three hits. Magdic led the Gyrenes for the whole tournament with eight hits, three of which went for extra bases.
The loss puts Ave Maria's record at 13-24 to end the 2026 season. The Gyrenes also went 0-2 at JetBlue Park for the second year in a row.
The Sun Conference tournament continues at Fenway South on Saturday and Sunday, May 2-3. The tournament is administered by the Ave Maria Athletic Department, and the Gyrene Broadcast team will continue to stream all of the games live on the Urban Edge Network.
