MIAMI GARDENS, Fla.- St. Thomas (7-17, 3-4 TSC) dropped a tough series opener on Friday afternoon against Ave Maria (19-9, 4-3 TSC) in extra innings by a final score of 4-1 at the newly dedicated Col. Jacquelin J. Kelly Field.

The evening began as the Bobcats participated in a dedication ceremony to St. Thomas University to commemorate the generous donation that came from the estate of Col. Jacquelin J. Kelly.  The ceremonial first pitch was thrown by Bobcat Sports Hall of Famer and former STU softball student-athlete Marinka (Bisceglia) Stuvel.

In a game with a total of just12 hits between the two teams, brilliant starting pitching was the story . The spotlight shined bright upon starting pitchers Jessica Castiglione for the Bobcats and Sadie Mosher for the Gyrenes. The players and the fans alike could simply notice the beauty of the competition right before their eyes.

The game went scoreless in regulation, proving that the pitching from both starters was impeccable.

As the Texas tie-breaker rule was brought in to effect, AMU scored four runs in the top of the eighth, capped off with a 3-run home run. St. Thomas attempted a comeback as the lone run of the game was from the obligated tiebreaker runner on second, Dayma Pla who was driven in via an RBI-single by Alysha Coyle.

Castiglione closed out her night with an amazing final line of: 8 IP, 4 R, 1 BB, 10 K. It was a battle on the mound, as both pitchers combined for a total of 17 K with only one walk allowed in the game. All the hats went off to both pitchers as the performance from both was a sight to see.

Next up for the Bobcats is a continuation of the Ave Maria series with a Sun Conference double header taking place on Saturday, March 25 at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. at the Col. Jacquelin J. Kelly Field.

Come out and support as St. Thomas looks to bring a great matchup against the Gyrenes!