ADRIAN, Mich. – Madonna University baseball dropped the opening fall ball series of 2016 with a 6-4 setback at Siena Heights on Sunday (Sept. 25). The Crusaders' Sunday loss drops the team's early season record to 1-2 overall and 1-2 in the WHAC while the host Saints check in with a 2-1 (2-1 WHAC) mark with the series win.
Taylor Grzelakowski (Fraser, Mich./Fraser High School) and Mitch Hudvagner (Cottom, Ontario/Essex District High School) continued their strong starts to the newly-formed fall ball campaign by combining for three of the Crusaders' four RBIs on the day. Hudvagner got the Crusaders on the board first with a second inning double to left center that plated freshman Danny Blade (Wyandotte, Mich./Divine Child Catholic). The double to the opposite-field gap gave the Crusaders a brief 1-0 lead before the Saints brought across the equalizer a half inning later.
The Saints would go on to plate a total of five unanswered runs between innings two and four to take a 5-1 come-from-behind lead over the Crusaders.
Grzelakowski stopped the Saints' streak in the top of the fifth with a two-RBI single to right to cut the Crusaders deficit in half, 5-3. The two-RBI drive brought Ryan Freemantle(Georgetown, Ontario/Our Lady of Mount Carmel) and Jalen Thomas (Southfield, Mich./Lathrup High School) around the score as Grzelakowski elevated his season RBI total to eight through three games.
The Saints answered once again, tacking on an insurance run in the home half of the sixth to take a 6-3 edge over the reigning WHAC champs. [Jalen] Thomas attempted to bring the Crusaders back with a seventh-inning RBI that scored Freemantle, but it would be the final run either team would produce in the 6-4 final on Sunday afternoon.
The Crusaders recorded nine hits, two for extra bases as Hudvagner and Stephen Parker (Sterling Heights, Mich./Owens Community College) doubled to pace MU's offensive effort. The Saints countered with 12 hits, only one of the extra-base variety, and added timely steal to win in small-ball fashion.
Saints' starter Reid Olmstead earned the win in the series finale after working five innings and giving up three earned runs. Four MU pitchers saw action on Sunday, led by strong performances from the pen as Zack Schmidtke (Dearborn Heights, Mich./Divine Child Catholic) and Patrick Wierimaa (Redford, Mich./Union High School) combined for 2 2/3 innings of one-hit ball.
The Crusaders return to action for a three-game set against Cornerstone at Illitch Ballpark on Friday and Saturday (Sept.30-Oct. 1).
