AVE MARIA, Fla. – The Embry-Riddle softball team picked up its first-ever conference road wins on Saturday at Ave Maria, defeating the Gyrenes 4-3 in eight innings and 7-4. With the wins, ERAU improves to 10-22 on the year and 5-7 in league play, while AMU falls to 16-18 overall and 1-7 in conference action.
 
Game One – ERAU 4, AMU 3 (8 inn.)
 
The Blue and Gold took a 1-0 lead in the second inning, stealing a run on a double-steal. Samantha Smith singled to put runners on the corners with two outs, and on the first pitch of Alex Wood's at-bat, Smith took off for second. Once the catcher's throw went through to second base, Haleigh Lewis took off for home plate, scoring without a throw.
 
Ave Maria struck back to tie it in the bottom half of the frame, scoring a run on a bunt single after Marlie Braddy tripled to lead off the inning.
 
In the fourth, Wood hit a sharp grounder that glanced off of the third baseman, allowing Lewis to score from second base on the play, giving the Eagles a 2-1 lead.
 
Jessica Osteen doubled the lead with a leadoff home run in the sixth inning, putting ERAU ahead, 3-1.
 
The lead quickly evaporated in the bottom of the sixth when back-to-back two-out singles scored a pair of runs for the Gyrenes, knotting the game at 3-3.
 
The score remained tied until the eighth inning when Lewis drove in Krizzy Menez, who was running for Robi Zimmerman, who led off the inning with a double.
 
Alexis Estrada held AMU scoreless in the bottom half, stranding Gyrenes at first and second to end the game.
 
Estrada (7-8) threw all eight innings to get the win, giving up three runs on nine hits, walking one and striking out three.
 
Lewis finished 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored, while Samantha Smith and Dee Espinosa each collected two hits.
 
Emily Lemin (6-2) pitched a complete game, giving up four runs (three earned) on nine hits, walking two and striking out two.
 
Brandi Griswold was 3-for-4 with a run scored and two RBIs and Braddy was 2-for-4 with a run scored.
 
Game Two – ERAU 7, AMU 4
 
Sarah Huey put the Eagles in front early in the second game, singling home Espinosa with the game's first run in the top of the first.
 
Espinosa drove home Ariel Brayer with a sac fly in the second, increasing the lead to 2-0.
 
Ave Maria took advantage of an error by Lewis in the fourth, scoring three runs, two unearned, to take a 3-2 lead.
 
The Blue and Gold answered back with four runs in the fifth, keyed by a two-run double from Espinosa followed by an RBI double from Savannah Smith that put ERAU ahead, 6-3.
 
The Gyrenes added another unearned run in the fifth to trim the lead to 6-4, but the Eagles answered once again with a run in the next frame when Samantha Smith singled home Brayer to extend the lead back to three runs at 7-4.
 
Zimmerman set down six of the last seven batters she faced to close out the 7-4 win for the Eagles, finishing off the sweep.
 
Estrada (8-8) got the start and pitched four innings to get the win, allowing three runs (one earned) on three hits with one strikeout, no walks and one hit batter. Zimmerman tossed the final three innings, allowing one unearned run on one hit, walking one and striking out six to earn the first save in ERAU softball history.
 
The Eagles pounded out 18 hits in the game, led by Wood, Huey and Samantha Smith, who all went 3-for-4. Espinosa was 2-for-4 with a double, two runs scored and three RBIs, while Brayer was 2-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI.
 
Beth Vaccarezza (3-6) took the loss for AMU, pitching all seven innings, allowing seven runs on 18 hits and two hit batters without recording a walk or a strikeout.
 
Braddy and Tori Thompson each finished 1-for-3 with an RBI as the Gyrenes mustered just four hits in the game.
 
The Eagles return home for the final two doubleheaders of the 2013 regular season next weekend. ERAU hosts St. Thomas on Saturday, Apr. 20 and Northwood on Sunday, Apr. 21. Both doubleheaders are slated for 1 p.m. starts.