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Box Score 2 LAKELAND, Fla.—The Fire swept the Gyrenes in dominating fashion by scores of 7-1 and 10-4 on Thursday to earn their fourth consecutive 35-win season.
Explosive offense by Southeastern made Ave Maria pay for their mistakes in game one of the doubleheader.
After surrendering a run to the Gyrenes in the bottom of the third inning, the Fire responded with seven unanswered. Two singles and a hit by pitch loaded the bases for the Fire in the top of the fourth inning with no outs. This set up a
Brandee Pietrzak RBI single, followed by one of five Gyrene errors on the day, which allowed the Fire to take a 2-1 lead.
Kiah Ferrell came into score on a fielder's choice by
Cat Maldonado to extend the advantage to 3-1 before
Laney Haynes singled in Pietrzak to complete the four run fourth inning for Southeastern.
In the sixth, two more Fire hits and the fourth Gyrene error of the competition loaded the bases once again.
Lindsie Scholwinski helped her own cause with a fielder's choice that scored Maldonado, while
Sam Holcomb picked up an RBI to make it a 6-1 game. Maldonado added an insurance run in the final frame with her second RBI of the day.
Southeastern spread out the offensive firepower in game one as seven Fire players registered a hit in the contest, while six separate players scored a run for Southeastern.
Scholwinski moved to 17-7 on the season after pitching a complete game, surrendering a single run and fanning five batters.
Marinna Shadley, who came across to score the only run for the Gyrenes, recorded four of Ave Maria's six hits in the game.
The Fire used an impressive first inning to fuel their 35
th win of the year. Ten consecutive Fire batters reached base safely to start game two. Southeastern recorded six hits in the half inning, while Ave Maria committed four errors. Pietrzak added a 2-RBI hit, as she was one of seven Fire players with an RBI in the first.
This led to an 8-0 advantage after half an inning had been played.
The Gyrenes answered back in the second. Using four hits, including a two-out 2-RBI single by Sadie Mosher, who ended the game 2-for-2 with a run scored, Ave Maria was able to cut the eight run deficit in half.
Stef Guercio was able to stop the bleeding and pitch five scoreless innings to close out the game. Southeastern secured the victory in the sixth inning, when a double by Holcomb scored
Sydnie Malloy, followed by an RBI by
Cheyenne Blaha, extended the lead to six for the second time in the contest.
Heather Faulk, Ferrell, Haynes and Blaha all registered multi-hit games in the latter of the two competitions. Eight Fire batters tallied a hit while eight different players scored in the 10-4 defeat of the Gyrenes.
Guercio dominated the Gyrenes she faced, giving up only five hits and a single earned run on the day.
The Fire will be back in action next Friday as they battle St. Thomas University in Miami Gardens. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m..
