Site: Dayton, Tenn. (BC Field / Rhea High School)
Score: St. Xavier 9, Madonna 2
Score: Madonna 5, Bryan 1
Records: MU (4-5), SXU (2-1), BC (9-2)
Next MU event: Friday, March 2 – vs. Bethel (Auburndale, Fla.), 12:00 p.m.

DAYTON, Tenn. - - The 23rd-ranked Madonna University baseball team split its two games Saturday at the Tennessee Valley Invitational, falling 9-2 to St. Xavier University before salvaging a split with a 5-1 win over the host Lions of Bryan College at the BC Baseball Field.

Bryan
Madonna scored five unanswered runs to rally from a 1-0 deficit as senior centerfielder Dan Harder (Brighton, Mich. / Brighton) posted a pair of hits while sophomore third baseman Victor Barron (Fowlerville, Mich. / Fowlerville) connected on his first career home run as MU posted a 5-1 victory over host Bryan.

Junior righty Josh Vandemark (Hicksville, Ohio / Hicksville) surrendered a run in the bottom of the first but settled in, throwing his second complete game of the season, striking out eight while scattering three hits to improve to 2-0 on the year.

Behind 1-0 in the second, the Crusaders tied the game when Harder – who led off with a single to left – stole home to knot the game at 1-1.

MU added another run in the third to take the lead for good when junior Alex Charles (Farmington Hills, Mich. / Brother Rice Catholic) – who was running for redshirt sophomore catcher Donny Holland (White Lake, Mich. / Lakeland) – moved to all the way to third on a failed pickoff attempt before coming home on a ground ball off the bat of junior first baseman Brad Lineberry (Canton, Mich. / Plymouth) for a 2-1 lead.

The Crusaders tacked on two more runs in the fourth on Barron's two-run homer that scored junior left fielder Steve Pelletier (Farmington Hills, Mich. / Harrison) to put MU on top 4-1.

MU added a fifth run in the top of the seventh when Charles scored when a ball hit by Lineberry was misplayed, increasing the lead to 5-1.

Vandemark worked around a two-out single, striking out the final batter of the game in the 5-1 victory.

Jason Ridenhour took the loss for Bryan, giving up all five runs while walking six, falling to 0-1 on the season.

St. Xavier
In the day's opener the Crusaders struck first but gave up nine runs before plating another run, falling to St. Xavier 9-2.

Redshirt sophomore Aaron Saarela (Commerce, Mich. / Lakeland) took the loss, falling to 0-2 on the year after giving up five runs on seven hits in his two-plus innings of work. Junior Peter Renaud (Holly, Mich. / Fenton) gave up four runs on seven hits while both Saarela and Renaud struck out four hitters.

Senior catcher Drew Adamiec (Walled Lake, Mich. / Western) posted a pair of hits for the Crusaders in the setback.

MU plated a run in the top of the second when Harder led off with a double to left and came home on a Barron single for a 1-0 lead.

SXU tied the game in the bottom of the frame before scoring four times in the third and four more times in the fifth for a 9-1 lead.

The Crusaders added a run in the seventh when senior Billy Hardin III (Livonia, Mich. / Detroit Catholic Central) drove in sophomore Ryan Lech (Macomb, Mich. / L'Anse Creuse North) but it was not enough as MU fell by a 9-2 final.

Scott Vachon earned the win for SXU, striking out eight in his six innings of work to improve to 1-0.

The Crusaders return home for two weeks before heading to central Florida for their annual spring break trip. MU opens its stay with a double header against Bethel College (Ind.) on March 2, starting at noon.