Site: Dayton, Tenn. (Lions Field)
Scores: Madonna 7, Rio Grande 1; Madonna 4, Rio Grande 3
Records: MU (3-1), RGU (2-6)
Next MU event: Sunday, Feb. 9 – at Cumberlands (Williamsburg, Ky.) – 11 a.m.

DAYTON, Tenn. – After riding the right arm of sophomore Evan Piechota (Livonia, Mich. / Stevenson) to a 7-1 win in game one, the Madonna University baseball team used a three-pitcher effort to hold off Rio Grande for a 4-3 win to complete the sweep at Lions Field as part of the Tennessee Valley Invitational.

Game One
Piechota threw a complete game, allowing just two hits and an unearned run in picking up his first win of the season. The redshirt sophomore righty struck out a career-best nine hitters while walking just one.

Freshmen Thomas Daffern (Grand Blanc, Mich. / Grand Blanc) and Dalton Ovesen(Oxford, Mich. / Lake Orion) both had two hits and a pair of runs batted in to lead the MU charge at the plate.

The Crusaders scored four times in the first inning. Sophomores Shane Dokey (Howell, Mich. / Brighton) and John Lauro (Rochester Hills, Mich. / University of Detroit Jesuit) both reached on one-out walks with Ovesen driving in Dokey with a single for a 1-0 lead. Senior Ryan Lech (Macomb, Mich. / L'Anse Creuse North) followed with a single that moved both runners up for senior Victor Barron (Fowlerville, Mich. / Fowlerville). Barron reached on a fielder's choice that scored Lauro for a 2-0 edge. Ovesen came home on a balk before Daffern singled in Barron two batters later for a 4-0 lead.

The Madonna lead grew to 5-0 in the second when Dokey again reached on a one-out walk and after stealing second, came home on a single from Ovesen with the fifth run of the game.

Runs six and seven came in the bottom of the fifth as Barron led off by being hit by a pitch and after moving to second on a wild pitch came home on a Daffern double for a 6-0 lead. Sophomore Christian Holder (Dearborn Heights, Mich. / Divine Child Catholic) singled home Daffern two batters later to cap the scoring for MU.

Rio scored an unearned run off of Piechota in the sixth but did not score again as MU won by the 7-1 final.

Game Two
Junior Jake Varcie (New Boston, Mich. / Huron) made his first start as a Crusader on the mound and earned the win, throwing the first four innings, allowing three runs while striking out one for his first win. Holder earned a hold, throwing the fifth and striking out one before giving way to junior Dylan Cooper (Macomb, Mich. / Stevenson) who earned his first save with two innings of work to close out the win.

Ovesen continued his hot weekend at the plate, going 2-for-3 with two RBIs in the victory.

MU plated two runs in the top of the first as freshman Dee Jawad (Dearborn Heights, Mich. / Crestwood) led off with a single and moved to second on a single from Lauro. Both runners moved up on stolen bases as Jawad came home on an error for a 1-0 lead. Ovesen drove in Lauro with a single for the 2-0 lead after half an inning.

The Red Storm got to Varice for a pair of runs in the bottom of the first, taking advantage of a pair of walks to tie the game at two.

Rio took a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the second, using a walk and a wild pitch before a RBI single to take its first lead of the day.

MU retook the lead in the top of the third, scoring twice for a 4-3 lead. Jawad led off the inning by being hit by a pitch and moved to second on a walk to Dokey. After a fielder's choice erased Dokey but allowed Lauro to be safe at first, both Jawad and Lauro stole with Jawad taking the plate for a 3-all game. Lauro came home on Ovesen's double for the 4-3 lead.

Making his collegiate debut on the mound, Holder picked off the one runner he allowed in the fifth while Cooper took advantage of a double play to end the game and seal the 4-3 win.

MU has added a doubleheader at Cumberlands (Ky.) on Sunday at 11 a.m.