ADRIAN, Mich. – The reigning WHAC regular season and tournament champion Madonna University baseball team entered 2016 with a new look after losing a bevy of talent to graduation last year. Despite the turnover, head coach Greg Haeger runs out another balanced team as evidenced on Saturday (Sept. 24) when the Crusaders bounced back from a tough 5-1 loss in the opener to Siena Heights earn a split with a 14-0 triumph in the nightcap.
The WHAC-opening, countable fall ball doubleheader was played at Siena Heights.
GAME ONE – Siena Heights 5, Madonna 1
The season got off to a difficult start for the Crusaders as game-one starter Alex DeYonker (Livonia, Mich./Franklin High School) went down with a serious injury just over two innings to his senior campaign. Reeling after losing DeYonker to the early injury, Haeger and the Crusaders turned to the capable right arm of Todd Jones(Monroe, Mich./St. Mary Catholic Central) who came in to toss 3 2/3 innings of relief. Jones only surrendered one earned run, but the Crusaders racked up four errors in the opener to account for the 5-1 setback.
Jones struck out four, as did DeYonker in his limited time, to keep the Crusaders in the contest in spite of the errors. Mitchel Sykes (Livonia, Mich./Catholic Central) came on to toss two innings of three-strikeout ball to round out MU's staff in game one.
At the plate, the Crusaders found it tough to string hits together and were led by Taylor Grzelakowski (Fraser, Mich./Fraser High School) with the lone MU RBI in the first game. Mitch Hudvagner (Cottam, Ontario/Essex District High School), Frankie Lucska (Garden City, Mich./Divine Child Catholic), Stephen Parker (Sterling Heights, Mich./Owens CC) and Jalen Thomas (Southfield, Mich./Lathrup High School) accounted for the four MU hits in game one.
GAME TWO – Madonna 14, Siena Heights 0
The Crusaders scored six runs over the first two innings and tacked on eight more over the final four frames to top Siena Heights in a shortened, seven inning game with MU emerging victorious with a run-rule 14-0 win on 13 hits.
Johno Rodriguez (Sterling Heights, Mich./Indian Hills CC) toed the rubber for the first time since being named a NAIA All-America selection last season and didn't miss a beat on his way to six innings of three-hit, three-strikeout ball to set the tone in the Crusaders game two comeback. Up 14-0 and cruising, Rodriguez was relieved by returning right-handed pitcher Cliff Landess (Carleton, Mich./Airport High School) who tossed a one-two-three inning to complete the shutout victory.
The bats woke up in the nightcap, paced by a stellar effort from Taylor Grzelakowski who connected on his first home run of the season and added a triple as part of a five-RBI game for the senior. Grzelakowski, who shifts in to play third base this season, went 2-for-3 with two walks to complete a well-rounded performance on Saturday afternoon.
Ryan Lambrecht (Lake Orion, Mich./Lake Orion High School) led MU with three hits, going 3-for-5 with a pair of RBIs as part of a Crusader offensive attack that recorded three doubles, three triples and the Grzelakowski home run. Freshman Jerad Dokey (Howell, Mich./Brighton High School) hit the first double and triple of his collegiate career on Saturday and was joined by Mitch Hudvagner and Grzelakowski who also added triples.
Lambrecht and Jalen Thomas joined Dokey with doubles while a total of seven Crusaders recorded RBIs in the 14-run victory.
