Site: Livonia, Mich. (Ilitch Ballpark)
Score: Madonna 6, Concordia 2
Score: Madonna 8, Concordia 0
Records: MU (27-12, 11-3 WHAC), CUAA (14-21, 5-9 WHAC)
Next MU event: Saturday, April 7 – vs. Concordia (Ilitch Ballpark) – 1 p.m.

LIVONIA, Mich. - - The Madonna University baseball team took advantage of miscues by Concordia University in game one before erupting for 13 hits in game two in sweeping a Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference double header on Thursday (April 5) afternoon at Ilitch Ballpark. MU win game one 6-2 before closing out the day with an 8-0 shutout.

Madonna pitchers combined to not allow an earned run in the two games while striking out 13 Concordia hitters. The Crusaders' offense posted 14 runs and 21 hits on the day.

Game One
After allowing an unearned run in the top of the fifth after a miscue in the Crusader infield, MU stormed back with five runs in the bottom of the seventh to take a 5-1 lead.

Senior right fielder Dan Harder (Brighton, Mich. / Brighton) led off the inning by reaching on an error and moved to second on a walk to sophomore shortstop Victor Barron (Fowlerville, Mich. / Fowlerville) before both runners advanced on a RBI single by junior third baseman Logan Curtis (Brooklyn, Mich. / Columbia Central) to tie the game at 1-1. After a walk to load the bases to junior first baseman Brad Lineberry (Canton, Mich. / Plymouth), a ground out erased Barron at home but left the bases loaded for junior center fielder Alex Charles (Farmington Hills, Mich. / Brother Rice Catholic). Charles laid down a squeeze bunt that cleared the bases after Concordia made a throwing error that allowed the runners from first and second to come all the way around to score and let Charles advance to second for a 4-1 lead. Charles came home with the final run of the inning when sophomore catcher Donny Holland (White Lake, Mich. / Lakeland) reached on an error to make it 5-1.

Concordia took advantage of a Madonna miscue in the outfield to score a run in the top of the eighth that trimmed the MU lead to 5-2 but MU came back with a run of its own in the bottom of the frame for a 6-2 lead.

After reaching on an infield single Curtis stole second and came home on a single by Lineberry for the four-run lead.

After allowing two runners to reach with two outs in the top of the ninth, MU junior starter Jeremy Gooding (Livonia, Mich. / Divine Child Catholic) was lifted for junior lefty Erik Wright (Canton, Mich. / Canton). Wright got Austin Ball to pop out to Barron at short for the final out of the game.

Gooding (4-4) went the first 8.2 innings, striking out nine while scattering seven hits and not allowing an earned run in pulling his record back to the .500 mark with his fourth win of the season. Wright earned his first save of the season with his 1/3 of an inning of work.

Junior left fielder Steve Pelletier (Farmington Hills, Mich. / Harrison) and Curtis had two hits each for Madonna with Charles, Curtis and Lineberry recording RBIs.

Jim Rousseau (2-3) took the loss for CUAA, throwing six innings and allowing four runs, two earned, while walking three and striking out two. Thomas Sperry had three hits to lead the Cards in the loss.

Game Two
After two scoreless innings - capped by Pelletier cutting down Chase Freeman at home to end the second - the Crusaders broke the ice with four runs in the top of the third to score all the runs they would need in the day's second game.

Lineberry led off the frame with a double and Charles reached on an error to put two on with one out. Both runners advanced on a steal before senior catcher Drew Adamiec (Walled Lake, Mich. / Central) singled home Lineberry for a 1-0 lead. After Charles was picked off of second for out number two, Pelletier singled to right and Harder walked to load the bases for Barron. With two strikes Barron hit a high pop up in foul territory that was dropped and gave the Crusaders' shortstop another chance and the left handed swinging Barron roped a double down the line in right that cleared the bases and made it 4-0 Madonna.

A triple by junior second baseman Tyler Cotter (Livonia, Mich. / Churchill) scored Lineberry in the fourth to make it 5-0 before the Crusaders tacked on two more runs in the fifth for a 7-0 lead. Barron reached on a one-out single to center and moved to third on a double to right by junior right fielder Josh Deeg (Lake Orion, Mich. / Lake Orion). A double by junior pinch hitter Matthew Cook (Dresden, Ontario / Lambton Kent Secondary) scored both runners for the seven-run lead.

MU added another run in the sixth on a Barron single that plated Pelletier for the 8-0 lead.

Junior starter Josh Vandemark (Hicksville, Ohio / Hicksville) went the first five innings, striking out four while scattering five hits for his fourth win of the year. Vandemark (4-0) allowed just three runners over his final three innings of work before handnig the ball off to freshman righty Justin Hicks (Fowlerville, Mich. / Fowlerville). Hicks threw the final two innings, allowing just two hits to close out the shutout for MU.

Barron went 3-for-4 with four RBIs in the nightcap to lead the Crusaders. Deeg and Pelletier each added a pair of hits in the win.

Tyler Holloway (2-4) suffered the loss for CUAA, giving up seven runs over his 4.1 innings of work. Chase Freeman had two hits including a double for the Cards in the loss.

The two sides wrap up the series with a 1 p.m. double header on Saturday (April 7) at Ilitch Ballpark.