Site: Auburndale, Fla. (Lake Myrtle Park)
Score: No. 24 Madonna 6, No. 19 St. Francis 2
Score: No. 24 Madonna 13, St. Francis 3
Records: MU (8-4), USF (7-7)
Next MU event: Wednesday, March 6 – vs. Bethel (Leesburg, Fla.) – 11:30 a.m.

AUBURNDALE, Fla.  – Behind a pair of quality starts on the mound and an offensive explosion in game two, the No. 24-ranked Madonna University baseball team swept its Tuesday (March 5) double header with No. 19-ranked St. Francis (Ill.) by finals of 6-2 and 13-3.

The sweep improves Madonna to 8-4 on the year. The Crusaders return to the field on Wednesday (March 6), traveling to Pat Thomas Stadium for an 11:30 a.m. game against Bethel (Tenn.).

Game One
The Crusaders struck first in the day's opener, plating a pair of runs in the top of the first. Senior left fielder Brad Lineberry (Canton, Mich. / Plymouth) reached on a single with one out and moved to second when junior shortstop Victor Barron (Fowlerville, Mich. / Fowlerville) was hit by a pitch. Senior first baseman Spencer Sarel (Brighton, Mich. / Brighton) singled home Lineberry with the game's first run and two batters later senior left fielder Steve Pelletier (Farmington Hills, Mich. / Harrison) singled to center to score Barron for a 2-0 lead.

MU added another run in the top of the third, plating an unearned run when junior designated hitter Ryan Lech (Macomb, Mich. / L'Anse Creuse North) scored when a ball off the bat of senior third baseman Justin Cook (Dresden, Ontario / Lambton Kent Secondary) was misplayed, giving MU a 3-0 lead.

USF got on the board in the bottom of the third to make it 3-1 but MU responded with two more runs in the top of the fourth as Sarel connected on a RBI triple and Lech drove in a run when his squeeze bunt was mishandled, extending the Madonna lead to 5-1.

St. Francis continued the scoring trend with another run in the bottom of the fourth, cutting the Madonna lead to 5-2 by taking advantage of a wild pitch and a Madonna miscue to get back within three.

The Crusaders tacked on an insurance run in the top of the sixth thanks to a RBI double from Sarel that scored Lineberry for the 6-2 lead.

MU senior right-hander Josh Vandemark (Hicksville, Ohio / Hicksville) allowed just one base runner over the final two innings with that runner being erased on a double play in the seventh before giving way to fellow senior righty Austin Delmotte (Romeo, Mich. / Romeo) who recorded the final out of the game with a strikeout. Vandemark (2-1) went the first 6.2 innings, striking out six and walking just one for his second win of the season. Jacob Evans took the loss for USF, giving up fourth runs in 3.1 innings of work

Sarel had three hits for MU and drove in a trio of runs. Lech and Pelletier each added a pair of hits for the Crusaders. Jesse Gregurich had three hits for St. Francis to go along with a pair from David Kuhne.

Game Two
St. Francis took a page from the Madonna book and scored three runs in the top of the first off of MU senior righty Robert Fraser (Westland, Mich. / John Glenn), getting a pair of hits and a sacrifice fly to stake itself to a 3-0 lead before MU even came to bat.

The Crusaders got one of the runs back in the bottom of the frame on a RBI single from senior first baseman Spencer Sarel (Brighton, Mich. / Brighton) that scored senior right fielder Brad Lineberry (Canton, Mich. / Plymouth) who had earlier doubled to make it 3-1.

The single run in the bottom of the first started a streak of 13 unanswered runs for the Crusaders as MU scored twice in the second, three times in the third and seven times in the fourth for the 13-1 final.

Senior third baseman Justin Cook (Dresden, Ontario / Lambton Kent Secondary) led the second inning off by getting hit by a pitch before moving to second on a single by senior center fielder Alex Charles (Farmington Hills, Mich. / Brother Rice Catholic). Both runners advanced on a sacrifice bunt from junior catcher Donny Holland (White Lake, Mich. / Lakeland) before Cook came home with the second MU run of the game on a sacrifice fly from freshman second baseman Shane Dokey (Howell, Mich. / Brighton). Charles came home to tie the game at 3-3 on a triple by Lineberry.

Sarel opened the third with a double and came home on a double from senior left fielder Steve Pelletier (Farmington Hills, Mich. / Harrison) for a 4-3 lead. Cook then cleared the bases and gave MU a 6-3 lead with his first home run as a Crusader, a two-run shot over the fence in left center.

MU's biggest inning came in the bottom of the fourth as the Crusaders scored seven times to take a 13-3 lead. The first eight Crusaders to come to the plate in the inning reached base with seven recording base hits. Charles had the biggest blow, a two RBI double down the left field line that scored senior designated hitter Jeff Beckles (Southfield, Mich. / Lathrup) and Pelletier.

Fraser (1-0) stranded a runner in the fifth and two more in the sixth before giving way to redshirt junior right-hander Tyler Schofield (Windsor, Ontario / FJ Brennan) for the seventh. Schofield worked around a lead off hit batter to get a double play ball and a pop out to end the game and complete the MU sweep.

Fraser wen the first six for the Crusaders, scattering seven hits and not allowing a run after the rocky first inning for his first win of the season. Charlie Ludolph suffered the loss for USF, giving up six runs but did strike out five Crusaders in his three innings of work.

Lineberry and Sarel led MU at the plate with three hits each while Cook drove in three runs. Joe Ruge had two hits for USF in the loss.