TUCSON, Ariz. – Mikey Kish (SR/Allen Park, Mich.) went 5-for-6 with three runs scored and three RBI to lead Madonna University softball to a pair of wins over Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference foes Judson University and Olivet Nazarene University.
The Crusaders tied a season-high in runs with 11 in an 11-2 thumping of Judson before besting Olivet Nazarene 4-2 to finish their third triple header at the Tucson Invitational Games. MU improves to 8-6 on the season and 6-6 at the event while Judson slips to 9-4 in 2017 and ONU falls to .500 at 5-5.
Six players accounted for the Crusaders nine hits in the second game of the day as MU scored five runs in the first, two in the second and four in the third to upend the Eagles.
Three consecutive singles by Morgan Kaiser (SR/Flat Rock, Mich.), Emma Sikina(FR/Woodhaven, Mich.) and Kish loaded the bases and Nicky Salloum (SR/Livonia, Mich.) drew an RBI walk for the game's first run. Bri Giordano (SR/Plymouth, Mich.) plated another with a single and Kerstyn Comerzan (SO/Woodhaven, Mich.) delivered the big blow, a bases-clearing double for the 5-0 advantage.
Kish and Salloum were at it again in the second as a Kish double plated Sikina and Salloum drove in the Crusaders catcher with a single to left for a 7-0 lead.
In the third, the offense continued to hum as three walks loaded the bases with one out for Sikina. The freshman second basemen beat out an infield single and an Eagles error allowed two runs to score. A two-out, two-run single by Salloum pushed the MU lead to 11.
An MU error, a single and two groundouts plated the first Judson run with the final tally coming in the last of the fifth as three singles and a walk accounted for the final tally.
Erin Combs (SR/Imlay City, Mich.) improved to 5-2 as she allowed one unearned run on four hits with a pair of strikeouts in four innings of work. Kish, Sikina and Salloum paced the offense with two hits each while Salloum finished with a team-best four RBI.
In the last of three games on Wednesday, the Crusaders improved to 8-2 when they score first and 5-2 when they score in the first inning as Kish drove in Kaiser, who singled and moved to second on Sikina's sacrifice, for the early 1-0 lead.
Olivet Nazarene took the lead in the bottom of the frame as they scored two runs on two hits. A leadoff single and hit by pitch put two on with none out, but Madisen Henry(FR/Swartz Creek, Mich.) almost escaped the inning unscathed were it not for a two-out, two-run single by Miranda Southall.
The freshman right-hander settled in after that, allowing just four more hits to earn her second win of the season.
The Crusaders tied the score in the third as Kaiser singled with one out, moved up 60-feet on Sikina's sacrifice and scored on Kish's second hit.
Madonna took the lead for good in the sixth as Salloum and Breanna Keethler (SR/Flat Rock, Mich.) each drove in a run. Kish led the inning off with a double and scored three pitches later on Salloum's base hit. Two batters later Keethler singled home Mallory Daschke (JR/Novi, Mich.), who ran for Salloum, to put MU ahead 3-2.
Henry improved to 2-1 on the season as she allowed two runs on six hits over seven innings with 10 strikeouts and two walks.
Kish powered the offense with a 3-for-3 game with two RBI and a run scored while Salloum finished 2-for-2. Kaiser added three hits and scored twice.
The Crusaders wrap up their 16-game, 7-day spring break trip with a triple header on Thursday, March 9. Madonna begins the day at 11 a.m. against the University of Jamestown before facing Dordt College (1 p.m.) and Arizona Christian University (5:30 p.m.). Live stats for all three games are available via GameChanger by clicking here.