Site: Auburndale, Fla. (Lake Myrtle Field)
Game One Score: Madonna University 7, William Penn University 6 (8 Innings)
Game Two Score: Madonna University 3, William Penn University 2
Records: MU 7-2, WP 5-6
Next MU event: Saturday, March 6 vs. Notre Dame College (South Lake High School), 10:00am

GAME ONE BOX SCORE| GAME TWO BOX SCORE

AUBURNDALE, Fla. (MadonnaCrusaders.com) - - A five-run come back in game one and a solid outing on the mound in game two from freshman Jeremy Gooding (Livonia, Mich.) propelled the No. 21-ranked Madonna University baseball team to a sweep of William Penn University by finals of 7-6 and 3-2 on Friday (March 5) at Lake Myrtle Park.

Sophomore Andy Omilian (Plymouth, Mich.) earned his second win of the season in game one with two innings of shut out relief while Gooding threw a complete game in the night cap, striking out seven while seven and allowing just four hits in moving to 2-0 on the year as well.

GAME ONE
Neither team got on the scoreboard until the top of the fourth when after a lead off single, WPU's Eddie Sobczak hit a two-run homer to right off of MU starter John Ballarin (Westland, Mich.) to put the Statesmen on top 2-0.

The Crusaders answered back with a single run in the fourth as junior Jeff Bultinck (Sterling Heights, Mich.) led off with a single and moved to second on a wild pitch. Fellow junior Matt Kay (Canton, Mich.) then reached on a bunt single to put runners at the corners. Sophomore Billy Hardin III (Livonia, Mich.) came up next and delivered a single to left that scored Bultinck and trim the deficit to just a single run at 2-1.

After back-to-back-to-back MU errors loaded the bases in the top of the fifth and allowed a run to score, it looked like Ballarin would work out of the jam when he got Gerardo Hernandez to ground into a 3-2-3 double play that cut down a runner at home to keep it 3-1. Sobczak then came back up and hit his second homer of the day, this one a three-run shot that made it 6-1 in favor of WPU.

Madonna tied the game in the bottom of the sixth as Hardin III reached on a one-out double and scored when freshman Brad Lineberry (Canton, Mich.) doubled on the first pitch he saw from Eric Krause to make it 6-2. New pitcher Jesus Sanchez hit junior Mike Gansser (Lake in the Hills, Ill.) to put runners at first and second with one out. Pinch hitter Drew Fry (Madison Heights, Mich.) ripped a single that scored both runners and made it a 6-4 game. A triple from senior Ted Toune (Brooklyn Park, Min.) scored Fry and a sacrifice fly from junior Shawn Little (Canton, Mich.) scored Toune to make it a 6-6 game.

Neither side scored in the seventh and after Omilian sent WPU down in the top of the eighth, Lineberry led off the home half of the inning with another double. Pinch hitter Tim Duffy (Carleton, Mich.) then reached on a fielder's choice to bring Toune back to the plate and the senior delivered a double that scored Lineberry with the game winning run in a 7-6 come-from-behind win.

Hardin III and Toune both had three hits while Lineberry posted a pair of base knocks. Ballarin went six innings, striking out five in taking the no-decision. For WPU, Krause struck out 11 hitters and allowed three runs in also taking the no-decision.

GAME TWO
The Crusaders scored all three of their runs in the top of the first inning as Toune led off with a walk and moved to second on a single from Hardin III. One batter later Kay delivered a bases clearing triple to right center that made it 2-0. Freshman Steve Pelletier (Farmington Hills, Mich.) made it 3-0 MU with a double to center to complete the MU scoring.

WPU threatened in the third, getting a lead off walk but after a strike out, Gooding got back-to-back defensive gems from Kay in right and Little in center as both made siding catches to keep WPU off the board.

Gooding was touched up for a run in the fifth after a lead off double and an error allowed a runner to reach third. Aaron Laird drove in WPU's first run with a ground ball to make it 3-1. WPU made it 3-2 in the sixth as Hernandez hit a one-out single up the middle and came home on a double from Sobczak to make it 3-2.

After striking out the first two hitters of the seventh, Gooding got a little more help from his defense as Kay made another sliding catch down the line in right to end the game and complete the sweep for the Crusaders.

Kay had the big bat for MU in game two, driving in a pair of runs while Hardin, Little, Pelletier, Kay and Garret Rebain (Plymouth, Mich.) all picked up hits in the win.

Madonna takes on Notre Dame College on Saturday (March 6) in a single game at South Lake High School in Groveland, Fla. The Crusader Radio Network - presented by the Madonna University Office of Advancement - will carry the game live starting at 9:45am.