TUCSON, Ariz. – The Madonna University softball team wrapped up their 16-game, 7-day trip to the Tucson Invitational Games with a 4-3 loss to Arizona Christian University on Friday evening at the Lincoln Park North Complex.
The loss, which came in the bottom of the seventh, drops the Crusaders to 1-5 in one-run games this season and 9-8 overall. Madonna ends the Games 7-8 while the Firestorm improve to 8-11 in 2017.
Entering the game the Crusaders were 0-4 when their opponent scored first and just 1-3 when the opponent scores in the first inning and the Firestorm did both in the loss.
After Madonna stranded the bases loaded in their half of the first, ACU capitalized on a lead off hit by pitch and an MU error for a 1-0 lead.
The Blue and Gold were able to take advantage of the first of three Arizona Christian miscues in the second to tie the game. Morgan Thompson (SR/Fort Gratiot, Mich.) reached on the error to lead off the inning and moved to third on a Haley Izworski(SO/West Branch, Mich.) double before an Emma Sikina (FR/Woodhaven, Mich.) single drew the Crusaders even at 1.
A lead-off single and two sacrifices gave the Firestorm a 2-1 advantage in the third. It was short lived as Morgan Thompson singled to begin the fourth, moved to second as Izworski reached on an error and Morgan Kaiser (SR/Flat Rock, Mich.) singled to load the bases. Sikina followed with a sacrifice fly to knot the game at 2, but the Crusaders left the bases loaded for the second time.
Kayla Rebain (SR/Plymouth, Mich.) and Becky Giacobbi (SO/Livonia, Mich.) began the fifth with back-to-back singles and a Thompson sacrifice and Izworski groundout put MU ahead 3-2. Unfortunately, a solo home run for the home team in the bottom of the inning again tied the score.
Two more runners were stranded by the Crusaders in the seventh which proved costly as a pair of singles and an MU error led to the walk-off run and a 4-3 loss.
Madisen Henry (FR/Swartz Creek, Mich.) took the loss as she allowed four runs, three earned, on seven hits with five strikeouts and two walks in six innings.
Sikina and Thompson paced the offense with two hits each as MU tallied nine in the contest. Sikina drove in two runs while Thompson scored twice.
Madonna returns to the diamond on Saturday, Mar. 18 for a 1 p.m. doubleheader against NCAA II foe Northwood University in Midland, Mich. The Crusaders return to University Field for the 2017 home opener against Cleary University on Sunday, Mar. 19. The doubleheader is scheduled for 1 p.m.
For those that can't attend the home opener, live coverage will be available via the Madonna Athletics Network at madonnacrusaders.com/live.