Site: Dayton, Tenn. (Senter Field)
Game One: (RV) Bryan 10, Madonna 3
Game Two: (RV) Bryan 9, Madonna 0
Records: MU (2-2), BC (1-1)
Next MU event: Friday, Feb. 20 – vs. St. Francis (Ill.) (Marian, Ill.) – 6 p.m. (EST)
DAYTON, Tenn. – Junior second baseman Shane Dokey (Howell, Mich. / Brighton) hit his first career home run in game one but it was not enough as host Bryan downed the Crusaders by a 10-3 final. MU mustered just one hit in a 9-0 loss in game two.
Dokey and redshirt freshman catcher Matt Deneau (Amherstburg, Ontario / St. Thomas of Villanova) each had two hits while junior center fielder Zack Byron (Dexter, Mich. / Dexter), redshirt sophomore right fielder Taylor Grzelakowski (Fraser, Mich. / Fraser) and Dokey each accounted for a RBI.
Redshirt junior righty Evan Piechota (Livonia, Mich. / Stevenson) gave up two runs in the bottom of the first before the Crusaders tied the game in the top of the third, starting with Dokey's solo shot with one out that cut the Crusaders' deficit in half. Sophomore shortstop Ryan Lambrecht (Lake Orion, Mich. / Lake Orion) then reached on an error and came home on a single from Grzelakowski to tie the game at 2-2.
Bryan answered back with four runs in the bottom of the third and went on to score three runs in the fifth and another in the sixth to lead 10-2 after six complete.
The Crusaders added a third run in the seventh when a Byron ground ball scored Deneau for the 10-3 final.
Piechota (0-1) was tagged with the loss, giving up five earned runs in his two and two-thirds innings of work. Freshman Taylor Turner (Novi, Mich. / Northville) made his collegiate debut, throwing two and two-thirds while redshirt sophomore A.J. Susick(Rochester, Mich. / Avondale) also made his first career appearance after missing the 2014 season following Tommy John surgery.
L.J. Rowden (1-0) threw a complete game for Bryan while Cody Reinhardt had three hits in game one.
The Madonna offense was nearly non-existent in game two as the Crusaders posted just four base runners and did not record a base hit until the top of the seventh inning. Bryan's Kenny Knudsen struck out 12 Madonna batters in earning his third win of the season.
Junior first baseman John Lauro (Rochester Hills, Mich. / University of Detroit Jesuit) had MU's hit while sophomore left hander Alex DeYonker (Livonia, Mich. / Franklin) suffered the loss, allowing three earned runs and walking five in his season debut.
The Crusaders continue their season opening road swing next Friday (Feb. 20), heading to Marian, Ill., and Rent One Park – the home of the Frontier League's Southern Illinois Miners – to face off with St. Francis (Ill.) in a 6 p.m. first pitch.
