AVE MARIA, Fla. – Thanks to
Axel Gomez's two-RBI double in the top of the eighth Florida Memorial University rallied back from a one-run deficit and ultimately earned a 5-3 win over host Ave Maria on a gloomy Friday afternoon in game one of a three-game weekend series.
After the Lions took a 4-3 lead in the eighth, they held the Gyrenes scoreless, then tacked on an insurance run in the top of ninth when
Jouseph Renovales crossed home plate on an
Argenis Hernandez single to right.
Rohandry Javier accounted for three of FMU's eight hits Friday, going 3-for-4 with an RBI, a run scored, and a walk. Renovales was 1-for-4 at the plate to go along with his run.
Ave Maria took a 2-1 lead over the Lions in the bottom of the third and produced another run in the bottom of the sixth – responding an FMU run in the top of the sixth – forcing Florida Memorial head coach
Florentino Burgos to pull starter
Edgard Aparico and go to
Krystian Negron.
Negron came in and pitched the seventh inning, striking out two batters and forcing a fly-out on the other, stymieing Ave Maria's batters. That would be Negron's only inning of work as Burgos gave the ball to
Samuel Briehn for the final two innings. Briehn earned the save, forcing two groundouts and three fly outs, and Negron was credited with the win for Florida Memorial (4-6, 3-1 Sun Conference).
