AUBURNDALE, Fla. - - The Madonna University baseball team split its Sunday double header with William Penn at Lake Myrtle Park as part of the 2009 Russ Matt Invitational. After dropping the opener 4-0, the Crusaders rebounded to take game two 3-1.

The split move MU to 2-1 on the season while William Penn falls to 5-2.

GAME ONE
William Penn touched up MU starter Jeff Sonnenberg (Holt, Mich.) for a pair of runs in the first inning to go up 2-0.

MU threatened in the top of the second, as Ted Toune (DeWitt, Mich.) reached on a two-out walk and was followed by a single by Mike Gansser (Lake in the Hills, Ill.). Both runners moved up when Tarik Khasawneh (Canton, Mich.) reached on a Statesman error but WPU's Micah Spencer got Shawn Little (Canton, Mich.) to ground out to end the threat.

The Crusaders threatened again in the sixth; putting the first two batters - Ryan Morrow (Taylor, Mich.) and Aaron Hacias (Sterling Heights, Mich.) - on via singles. A double play erased Morrow and Spencer recorded the final out himself via a strike out to end the MU threat.

The Statesmen plated two more runs in the sixth for the final margin of victory at 4-0.

Gansser, Hacias, Little and Morrow each recorded hits for Madonna. Sonnenberg threw six innings, scattering six hits and striking out four, but was tagged for his first loss of the season.

GAME TWO
In the nightcap, MU cracked the run column early, plating a pair in the first. Drew Fry (Madison Heights, Mich.) and Hacias reached with back-to-back one-out walks and a Kevin Zerbo (Farmington, Mich.) single plated Fry for a 1-0 MU lead.

After a ground out, Little reached on another walk and was followed by Kay who drew the fourth walk of the inning to force in Hacias for a 2-0 Madonna lead after one complete inning.

MU added to its lead in the second as Morrow reached on a one-out single and then stole second. Hacias drove in Morrow with a single to center to make it 3-0 Crusaders.

Madonna starter Kyle Bolton (Burlington, Ont.) handled the William Penn line up, scattering four hits and not allowing an earned run. The junior righty struck out six in his MU debut to collect his first win as a Crusader.

Zach Flavin (Novi, Mich.), Hacias, Morrow and Zerbo all posted hits while Matt Kay (Canton, Mich.), Hacias and Zerbo posted RBIs.

MU returns to the diamond on Monday in a 3pm faceoff at Warner in Lake Wales, Fla.