BABSON PARK, Fla. (February 23, 2018) – The first Sun Conference win of the 2018 season for the No. 25 Webber International University baseball team was one to remember as junior pitcher Zak Spivy earned his first win of the season with a dazzling nine-inning performance in which he struck out 15 batters and did not allow an earned run. In the end, the Warriors defeated the Gyrenes 8-2 on Friday evening on the Heart of Florida Field.

The 15 strikeouts for Spivy (1-3), who is in his first season as a Warrior, were the second most in a single game by a Webber pitcher in school history.

The 6-foot-4, 235 pound right-hander from Naples, Florida, also tossed his first complete game of the season and held the Gyrenes to only six hits while walking only one batter. In 36 innings so far, Spivy has posted an impressive 2.00 earned run average and has a very strong 40-to-8 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Backing up Spivy offensively was senior Chris Medina, who led the team with four hits and three runs batted in; sophomore Quirino Esquivel, who was 2-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI; and senior Manny Rodriguez, who added two hits and two RBI's.

Garrett Martin and Tyree Austin both scored twice while Austin also swiped three bases, giving him 10 stolen bases in his 12 games played.

Webber got the scoring started in the bottom of the third inning as a leadoff double by Esquivel led to a two-run double off the center field wall by Rodriguez.

It was a three-run third inning in total for the Warriors, who added back-to-back doubles by Jesse Coleman and Esquivel in the bottom of the fourth before an RBI hit up the middle by Napo Ballestero made it 5-0. To that point, Esquivel was 2-for-2 with two doubles, 2 RBI's and a run scored.

Head Coach Brad Niethammer had this to say after the win, "It's good to pick up our first conference win. Zak [Spivy] pitched an awesome game and we swung the bats well. We will be back at it again tomorrow."

With its first conference win of the season, Webber improved to 5-9 overall and 1-3 in The Sun Conference while Ave Maria dropped to 6-13 and 1-6.

The Warriors and the Gyrenes will play two tomorrow on Saturday, February 23, on the Heart of Florida Field with first pitch for game two of the three-game series set for 12 p.m.