LAKELAND, Fla. — No. 9 Southeastern nearly erased a late deficit but came up just short in an 11–10 loss to Ave Maria in the opening game of a four-game series Thursday night at Ted A. Broer Stadium.
Ave Maria used a five-run sixth inning to build separation, taking advantage of defensive miscues and timely hitting to extend its lead to 10–2. The Gyrenes finished with 16 hits on the night and were led by multiple multi-hit performances throughout the lineup.
Southeastern (27-12) showed resilience late, mounting a pair of rallies in the final innings. After a quiet stretch through the middle frames, the Fire got a spark in the seventh as
Armani Cozza launched a solo home run, followed shortly by a three-run blast from
Cooper Ciesielski to cut the deficit to 11–6.
The momentum carried into the eighth inning, where Southeastern plated four more runs to pull within one.
Nathanial Hopkins delivered an RBI single,
Braden Bartholomae added a run-scoring hit, and Ciesielski continued his big night with an RBI double.
Victor Esquivel Perez capped the rally with an RBI single to make it 11–10.
Ciesielski led the Fire offensively, going 2-for-3 with a home run, double, and four RBIs, while Cozza added two hits and a homer. Southeastern drew seven walks and collected 12 hits but was hindered by four defensive errors.
Despite bringing the tying run aboard in the ninth, the Fire were unable to complete the comeback, as Ave Maria closed out the game to secure the win.
Blake Sandvik (5-2) took the loss for Southeastern, while Ave Maria's Jack McGlynn earned the win in relief and Caleb Niese recorded the save.
The series continues Friday with a doubleheader scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. at Ted A. Broer Stadium.
