Site: Mt. Pleasant, Mich. (Theunissen Stadium)
Score: Central Michigan 13, Madonna 7
Records: MU (14-11); CMU (17-10)
Next MU event: Wednesday, April 2 - vs. Siena Heights (Ilitch Ballpark) – 2 p.m.
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – The Madonna University baseball team led NCAA Division I Central Michigan 6-1 after an inning and a half but could not maintain that momentum, falling to the Chippewas by a 13-7 final on a blustery Tuesday afternoon (April 1) at CMU's Theunissen Stadium.
Senior
Victor Barron (Fowlerville, Mich. / Fowlerville) along with freshmen Taylor Grzelaskowsi (Fraser, Mich. / Fraser) and
Zack Schmidtke (Dearborn Heights, Mich. / Divine Child Catholic) each had two hits for MU in the loss with Schmidtke driving in a pair of runs. Junior
Justin Hicks (Fowlerville, Mich. / Fowlerville) suffered the loss, allowing five runs on five hits in his 2.1 innings of work. Hicks (1-1) walked one while striking out two in his first loss of the season.
The Crusaders plated a pair of runs in the top of the first on a RBI single from Grzelakowski that plated sophomore
Ben Matigian (Livonia, Mich. / Churchill) for a 1-0 lead. The lead grew to 2-0 on a bases loaded walk to Schmidtke.
CMU got one of those runs back in the bottom of the inning on a RBI double from Cody Leichman to make it a 2-1 game.
MU tacked on four runs in the second to take a 6-1 lead, starting with a leadoff walk to senior
Donny Holland (White Lake, Mich. / Lakeland) and four batters later, Barron singled in Holland for a 3-1 lead. MU added two more runs on passed ball for a 5-1 lead before Schmidtke came through again with a single to right that scored Grzelakowski for the 6-1 lead.
After a scoreless bottom of the second, CMU answered back with five runs, with all five being unearned, in the bottom of the third to pull even at 6-6. The host Chippewas added another five runs in the last of the fifth for an 11-6 lead before tacking on two more in the sixth for a 13-6 lead.
The Crusaders scored their final run in the top of the eighth on a Matigian single for the 13-7 final.
Leichman led CMU with three this and a pair of RBIs in the win. Kenton San Miguel (1-1) earned the win with 4.1 innings of relief, scattering a pair of MU hits and allowing just one run for his first win of the season.
After 25 games on the road, the Crusaders are now poised to open the home season on Wednesday (April 2) with a 2 p.m. league doubleheader against Siena Heights at Ilitch Ballpark.
