LIVONIA, Mich. – Going out in style! Led by a balanced cast of seniors, Madonna baseball was able to sweep Senior Day over the visiting Lourdes University Gray Wolves on Sunday (April 17) at Ilitch Ballpark. In all, nine seniors were honored on Sunday as the Crusaders moved their record to 23-14 overall and 13-4 in the WHAC. The pair of wins maintained MU's second place spot in the WHAC as league play begins to wind down over the next two weeks.
The Gray Wolves fell to 8-26 overall and 2-14 in the WHAC with the pair of losses to MU on Sunday afternoon.
GAME ONE – MADONNA 11, LOURDES 0
Led by a 4-for-4 performance from senior second baseman Shane Dokey (Howell, Mich./Brighton High School), the Crusaders breezed through game one, run-ruling the Gray Wolves in seven innings by an 11-0 final. The Crusaders got on the board in the opening inning and never looked back as junior shortstop Ryan Lambrecht (Lake Orion, Mich./Lake Orion High School) stole the show in the first with a RBI double to right center that scored Dokey and a run scored later in the inning.
Up 2-0, the Crusaders poured on four more runs in the third when a trio of seniors drove in runs. John Lauro (Rochester Hills, Mich./UD-Jesuit High School) started the RBI spree with a single to center field that scored freshman Jalen Thomas (Southfield, Mich./Lathrup High School) while Ben Matigian (Livonia, Mich./Churchill High School) followed with a double to left center that scored Lauro.
Levi Larmour (Oakville, Ontario/Mesa CC) concluded the senior-laden third inning with a successful bunt that plated Matigian.
Dokey was back at it again in the fourth with a double to left center to score fellow senior Zack Byron (Dexter, Mich./Macomb CC), giving the Crusaders a commanding 7-0 lead. Thomas brought around Dokey two batters later with a sac fly to center field to extend the Crusaders lead to 8-0 through the first four innings of the scheduled nine inning contest.
The Crusaders went on to plate three more runs, two in the fifth and one in sixth, to run-rule the Gray Wolves in the seventh inning. Senior outfielder Mike Tibbits (Plymouth, Mich./Holy Cross) singled to left center, scoring fellow senior Chase Dobbie(Mississauga, Ontario/Meadowvale Secondary) to end the scoring barrage by the Crusaders in the opener.
Adam Prashad (Mississauga, Ontario/Mississauga Secondary) was on the mound for the Crusaders in game one and capped off an impressive senior showing with a shutout victory on his own Senior Day. Prashad recorded his first shutout of the 2016 season in style by punching out seven Gray Wolves in the 11-0 win. The senior was brilliant throughout the opener, scattering three hits to face three over the minimum in his final regularly scheduled start at Ilitch Ballpark.
GAME TWO – MADONNA 6, LOURDES 3
The Crusaders kept their foot on the pedal in game two, running their Sunday unanswered run total to 17 after taking a 6-0 lead through four frames in the seven-inning nightcap. The Gray Wolves plated three runs in the sixth to cut the Crusaders lead in half, but a combination of Zack Schmidtke (Dearborn Heights, Mich./Divine Child Catholic) and closer Bobby St. Pierre (Windsor, Ontario/Crowder CC) closed the door for a 6-3 win.
The runs by the Gray Wolves in the sixth put a halt to a 16-inning scoreless streak as Crusader pitching and defense buckled down throughout the weekend.
Fittingly, seniors continued to rule the day for MU as John Lauro recorded a RBI single in the first to score Zack Byron and advance Shane Dokey to third. The Lauro single gave the Crusaders an early 1-0 edge as Dokey scored a few pitches later on a passed ball on the Gray Wolves catcher.
With a 2-0 lead after one, the Crusders doubled up their advantage the following inning as Dokey hustled down the line for a RBI infield single while later stealing second to force Chase Dobbie from third on the throw down to second. In the fourth inning, Dokey was able to conclude a six-run game two effort by the MU bats with a sac fly to right center that brought home Levi Larmour.
Todd Jones (Monroe, Mich./St. Mary Catholic Central) got the nod in game two and went on to 5 2/3 innings of four-hit, three-run (all unearned) ball. Jones stuck out four Gray Wolves while walking three others to move to 1-1 on the season.
