CLERMONT, Fla. – The twentieth-ranked Thomas University softball team was upset in their Sun Conference Tournament opener this afternoon by the Lady Gyrenes of Ave Maria University losing 4-3.
 
Thomas jumped out the 3-0 advantage in the bottom of the second.  First baseman Carmen Nadal would kick things off for Thomas walking on six pitches.  Nadal would move up to third when catcher Michael Cooper launched a double to left-center field.  With one out in the inning, designated hitter Kelsey Connolly rocketed a two-RBI double down the right field line to score Nadal and Cooper for the 2-0 lead.  Connolly would advance to third on a single by second baseman Kayla Johnson before stealing home on a designed double steal. 
 
Down 3-0 in the top of the third, the Lady Gyrenes responded to Thomas' early offensive surge.  With runners on second and third, pitcher Cheyenne Benson aided her effort on the mound by blasting a three-run homerun over the right field fence. The shot tied the game at 3-3.
 
After a scoreless fourth and fifth, the Lady Gyrenes took the 4-3 lead.  First baseman Alyssa Colding singled through the right side of the infield.  She would advance to second on a Lady Night Hawk fielding error.  With two outs in the inning, left fielder Deanna Stirtzinger singled to score Colding for the go-ahead run. 
 
Ave Maria's Benson would close out the game pitching two additional scoreless innings en route to the Lady Gyrenes' 4-3 victory.  Lopes suffered the loss.
 
The Lady Night Hawks return to action on Friday, May 1, when they face St. Thomas in an elimination game in the Sun Conference Tournament.  First pitch is slated for 9:00 a.m. at the National Training Center.
 
For up-to-date information on this game and other TU Athletics, visit www.TUNightHawks.com.  Stay up-to-date with news, scores, photos, game summaries, and feature stories of your TU softball team by following them via Twitter at @NightHawksSoftb.