Site: Fort Wayne, Ind. (Warriors Stadium)
Scores: Madonna 3, Indiana Tech 1; Indiana Tech 10, Madonna 2
Records: MU (21-20; 8-12 WHAC), IT (21-18-1; 12-7 WHAC)
Next MU event: Saturday, April 19 at Indiana Tech (Fort Wayne, Ind.) – 1 p.m.
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – Behind a stellar pitching performance from sophomore righty Adam Prashad in the day's opener, the Madonna University baseball team split its Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference doubleheader at Indiana Tech. MU won game one, 3-1, before falling in the nightcap by a 10-2 final at Warriors Stadium.
Prashad (Mississauga, Ontario / Mississauga Secondary) threw a complete game, striking out a career-high eight batters for his fourth win of the season. The one run he allowed was unearned as he walked just two while scattering seven hits.
Sophomore center fielder Shane Dokey (Howell, Mich. / Brighton) and senior third baseman Ryan Lech (Macomb, Mich. / L'Anse Creuse North) each had two hits in the opener and joined sophomore left fielder Ben Matigian (Livonia, Mich. / Churchill) with a RBI each.
The Crusaders got on the board first in the game's initial frame as freshman designated hitter Taylor Grzelakowski (Fraser, Mich. / Fraser) reached on a two-out error and came home on Matigian's single for a 1-0 lead.
Tech tied the game in the second thanks to a MU miscue for a 1-1 game.
MU took the lead back in the top of the fourth when Matigian reached on an error to open the frame then stole second before moving to third on a sacrifice bunt from sophomore first baseman John Lauro (Rochester Hills, Mich. / University of Detroit Jesuit). Lech dropped a single into left center to plate Matigian and give MU a 2-1 lead.
The Crusaders' lead grew to 3-1 in the top of the seventh when Dokey doubled home Lech, who opened the inning with an infield single, to give MU a two-run cushion.
Prashad was on cruise control, allowing just three runners over the final three innings and sent the side down in order in the last of the ninth for the first nine inning complete game of his career.
Clay Wallace (4-5) matched Prashad with a complete game for Tech, allowing three runs while striking out seven and scattering seven hits in the loss. Bryan Brudi and Alex McKinstry each had two hits for Tech in the setback.
In the game's second day, Tech scored early and often in a 10-2 win.
Tech scored four runs in the third, four more in the fourth and capped the scoring with two more in the fifth for the 10-2 win.
Freshman second baseman Ryan Lambrecht (Lake Orion, Mich. / Lake Orion) accounted for both MU runs with his second home run of the season that gave MU a 2-0 lead in the top of the third. Senior shortstop Victor Barron (Fowlerville, Mich. / Fowlerville) and Matigian had MU's other two base hits in the loss.
Freshman Alec Padilla (Lake Havasu, Ariz. / Romeo) took the loss for MU, allowing just one earned run but was the victim of three unearned runs crossing the plate in his 2.2 innings of work. The MU bullpen allowed six runs in its 3.1 innings of work.
Tech's Chase Keathley (2-2) earned the win, scattering four hits in his six innings of work. A trio of Warriors had two hits each as part of Tech's 10-hit attack.
The two sides wrap up their four-game series on Saturday (April 19) with another doubleheader.
