Site: Auburndale, Fla. (Lake Myrtle Park)
Score: Evangel University 10, Madonna University 5
Records: MU 13-3; EU 4-7
Next MU event: Thursday, March 11 vs. Calumet College of St. Joseph (Chain of Lakes Park), 10:30am

BOX SCORE

AUBURNDALE, Fla. (MadonnaCrusaders.com) - - Stranding 11 runners and allowing five unearned runs was too much for the No. 21-ranked Madonna University baseball team to overcome in a 10-5 loss to Evangel University on Wednesday morning (March 10) at Lake Myrtle Park. The loss snaps MU's nine-game winning streak.

Junior Jeff Bultinck (Sterling Heights, Mich.) and sophomore Billy Hardin III (Livonia, Mich.) each posted two hits while Hardin III also drove in a pair. Senior John Ballarin (Westland, Mich.) took the loss after throwing six innings and allowing six runs. Ballarin struck out eight in falling to 1-1 on the year.

EU got on the board with a run in the top of the third and it remained a 1-0 game until MU put up five runs in the bottom of the fourth starting with a lead off walk to junior Tim Duffy (Carleton, Mich.) and another walk to junior Shawn Little (Canton, Mich.) two hitters later to put runners at first and second with one out. Pinch runner Drew Adamiec (Walled Lake, Mich.) and Little both moved up on a passed ball before Bultinck doubled to center to score Adamiec and make it 1-1. Junior Tarik Khasawneh (Canton, Mich.) was then hit by a pitch to reload the bases. Senior Ted Toune (Brooklyn Park, Minn.) then reached on a ball that was misplayed by the EU infield and allowed Little and Bultinck to score for a 3-1 Madonna lead. The lead grew to 5-1 when Hardin III hit his fourth triple of the season to clear the bases and put the Crusaders on top by four.

Evangel plated three runs in the top of the fifth to make it 5-4 and added two more runs in the sixth to go along with a single run in the seventh and three more in the eighth while the Madonna bats went silent, falling by the 10-5 final.

The Crusaders return to the field on Thursday (March 11) with a split double header against Calumet College of St. Joseph and Mount Marty starting at 10:30am at Chain of Lakes Park.