AVE MARIA, Fla. — The Thomas University softball team lost both games in its doubleheader on Friday, failing to register a run against Ave Maria, 4-0 and 1-0.
Game 1, Ave Maria 4, Thomas University 0
In Friday's series opener, the scoring opened in the first as a sacrifice fly brought in the Gyrenes (17-16, 7-4 SUN) opening run, 1-0.
The next few innings would remain silent as TU's Larran Carter and AMU's Alissa Bolinger controlled the mid-game, limiting hits while each team failed to put runners in scoring position.
The Night Hawks (15-12, 2-6 SUN) nearly responded in the sixth, as a hit from Averie Sheppard was followed by a sacrifice bunt from Makana Pember setting Sheppard up on second with two outs.
Senior Dara Moore then got hit by a pitch putting runners on first and second before Adreanna Killingsworth walked to bases loaded, bringing Holly Campbell up to bat.
Campbell put solid contact on the ball towards third base nearly placing a grounder through the five-hole, but perfect positioning from AMU's Marisa Michi helped the Gyrenes escape the inning by getting a force out on third for out number three.
The bottom of the sixth for Ave Maria then produced three more runs for the Gyrenes, pushing the lead to the final scoreline of 4-0.
TU's Larran Carter fell to 11-5 on the year while AMU's Alissa Bolinger improved to 11-7.
Game 2, Ave Maria 1, Thomas University 0
The second game of the day was both a display of impressive defensive play and impressive pitching as neither team committed an error while just ten combined hits were allowed.
Starting in the first, a quick three-up three-down for TU foreshadowed the rest of the contest, as the Night Hawks failed to find a multi-hit inning throughout the duration of game two.
Ave Maria, in similar fashion, struggled to find contact, with a pair of popups and a groundout sending both teams to the second without a hit.
A slow second would quickly send the game to third, where the Gyrenes would put runners in scoring position with a fully-loaded bottom half of the inning, with two runners in scoring position.
Next, A hit from sophomore Annie Nudera brought the lone run of the contest home, putting TU in a 1-0 hole.
The next pair of innings were again silent for both teams, with both TU's Leanne Lain and AMU's Ashley Nelson allowing one hit apiece through the next two innings.
The Night Hawks would put one last runner in scoring position as Makana Pember advance to second on a wild pitch, but the Gyrenes took no chances late in the contest as Alissa Bolinger entered the circle, picking up a popup and groundout to receive the game two save.
Next up, the series will resume on Saturday, March 26th, with first pitch scheduled for noon.
For up-to-date information on Thomas University Softball 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.
