Site: Auburndale, Fla. (Lake Myrtle Park)
Score: No. 24 Madonna 2, Avila 1
Score: No. 24 Madonna 8, Avila 0
Records: MU (12-5), AU (7-3)
Next MU event: Tuesday, March 12 – at Central Michigan (Mount Pleasant, Mich.) – 3:05 p.m.

AUBURNDALE, Fla.  – The No. 24-ranked Madonna University baseball pitching staff allowed just two hits in sweeping Avila University by finals of 2-1 and 8-0 to close its spring trip at Lake Myrtle Park on Saturday (March 9).

Senior Matthew Cook gave up two hits in his 2-1 win over Avila while senior Jeremy Gooding and junior Dan Stoney combined to no hit Avila in an 8-0 victory in the nightcap.

Game One
Senior righty Matthew Cook (Dresden, Ontario / Lambton Kent Secondary) threw a complete game while allowing just two hits and one run to go along with five strikeouts as the Crusaders opened the day with a 2-1 win.

Madonna got on the board in the bottom of the second inning when senior designated hitter Spencer Sarel (Brighton, Mich. / Brighton) led off with a walk and after stealing second and moving to third on a single by senior third baseman Justin Cook (Dresden, Ontario / Lambton Kent Secondary). Sarel came home on a passed ball to give MU a 1-0 lead.

Avila tied the game in the top of the third when Jason Leone reached after getting hit by a pitch and moved to second on a wild pitch. Leone scored on a single through the right side by Ryan Ford to knot the game at 1-1.

The game remained 1-1 until the bottom of the sixth when MU scored what proved to be the game winning run. Justin Cook reached after getting hit by a pitch. Pinch runner Alex Charles (Farmington Hills, Mich. / Brother Rice Catholic) moved to second on a failed pickoff attempt before coming home on a RBI single from junior shortstop Victor Barron (Fowlerville, Mich. / Fowlerville) for a 2-1 lead.

Matthew Cook sent the side down in order in the last of the seventh for his second win of the season.

Freshman second baseman Shane Dokey (Howell, Mich. / Brighton) and Justin Cook each had two hits for Madonna.

Steven Johnson (2-1) took the loss for AU, giving up both runs and allowing six hits in 5.2 innings of work.

Game Two
A pair of right handers combined to post the first no hitter for the Madonna baseball program since 2008 as MU shutout Avila 8-0. Jeremy Gooding (Livonia, Mich. / Divine Child Catholic) and Dan Stoney (Canton, Mich. / Canton) combined to keep Avila out of the hit column in the seven inning affair.

Gooding threw the first six innings, striking out nine before giving way to Stoney who worked around hitting the leadoff batter in the seventh to strike out the final two batters of the game to secure the no hitter. The win was the third of the season for Gooding.

MU scored all of the runs its pitching staff would need in the top of the first inning when senior right fielder Brad Lineberry (Canton, Mich. / Plymouth) reached with one out on a walk. Lineberry came around to score on a double down the left field line by Victor Barron to give the Crusaders a 1-0 lead.

The Crusaders added to their lead in the third when Barron drove in singled to left to score Alex Charles to make it 2-0.

Madonna blew the game open with four runs in the top of the fourth to take a 6-0 lead. Justin Cook along with senior left fielder Steve Pelletier (Farmington Hills, Mich. / Harrison) and junior designated hitter Ryan Lech (Macomb, Mich. / L'Anse Creuse North) all reached on singles to open the inning with Lech driving in Cook for a 3-0 lead. Shane Dokey scored Lech and Pelletier with a double down the left field line for a 5-0 lead. Lineberry singled to center to drive in Dokey and make it 6-0.

MU added two more runs in the top of the sixth as Dokey and Sarel drove in runs for the 8-0 lead.

Gooding worked around five walks in his six innings and allowed just one runner past second base. Stoney came in for the seventh and after hitting Anthony Herrera to open the frame, got a ground out and two strikeouts on just seven pitches to complete the no hitter.

Barron and Pelletier each posted three hits in the win while Barron and Dokey both drove in three runs for the Crusaders.

Tim Roberts (0-1) took the loss for Avila, allowing six runs on nine hits in his four innings of work.