THE BASICS
35th WARNER UNIVERSITY INVITATIONAL
Score: #RV MU 6, SAU 9; MU 6, WU 3
Records: Madonna University (15-9), Spring Arbor University (11-4), Warner University (Fla.) (10-18)
Location: Avon Park, Fla. (Head Field); Lake Wales, Fla. (Warner Stadium)
AVON PARK/LAKE WALES, Fla. - The Madona University baseball team finished the Warner University seeding round 1-3 and are the sixth seed in the seeded games on Saturday after going 1-1 in another two-team, two-venue doubleheader against Spring Abor University (L, 9-6) and the host Royals (W, 6-3).
GAME 1
The Crusaders met a Cougars team for the second straight day at Head Field in Avon Park as they faced SAU after playing Mount Vernon Nazarene University (Ohio) on the same field on Thursday. MU put up six runs on eight hits, but it wasn't enough as SAU tallied nine runs on 10 hits.
Five home runs were hit in the contest and the final two by the Cougars proved to be the difference. SAU got on the board first with a sacrifice fly in the first inning, but Madonna countered with a pair of solo home runs from Adrian Reed and Nick Sykes.
Spring Arbor scored the next three runs before Gordon Ferguson brought home Sykes in the fourth to cut the deficit to one. 4-3. Unfortunately for MU, the Cougars posted a two-run home run and a three-run home run in the sixth and seventh innings, respectively to make it 9-3. The seventh inning dinger was the difference as Reed delivered a one-out, three-run home run to cut the lead back to three, but MU couldn't score again in the loss.
NUMBERS TO KNOW
- 16: Teams combined to strike out 16 times, nine for MU and seven for SAU
- 9: There were also nine extra-base hits in the contest, three doubles, a triple and the five home runs
- 2: Six different players had at least two hits and seven scored or drove in at least two runs
TOP PERFORMERS
- Reed - finished 2-for-4 with two runs scored and four RBI
- Sykes - went 2-for-3 with two runs scored and an RBI
- Jerad Dokey - was 2-for-2 with a run scored
- Luke Willoughby - lone MU pitcher not to allow a run as he walked two and struck out one in his lone inning of relief
GAME 2
The opposition again scored in the top of the first in game two as Warner led 1-0 as the visitors on their home field. A Frankie Lucska single and a Royals error allowed Noah Renaud to tie the game and a Noah Moore two-out single to left put MU up 3-1 through three.
A two-run home run evened the score in the fourth, but Warner didn't have a runner cross second base the rest of the way and the MU offense woke up. It all started with Moore who singled to lead off the sixth and an Alex Garbacik double gave the Crusaders the lead. Dokey followed with an RBI base hit to left and he scored two batters later on a Renaud single to right for the final margin.
NUMBERS TO KNOW
- 10: MU pitchers combined to strike out 10 Royals while the Crusaders struck out just three times
- 11-6: The Blue and Gold outhit Warner 11-6 and tallied six RBI on their six runs
TOP PERFORMERS
- Moore - went 3-for-3 with two RBI and his courtesy runner scored a run
- Lucska - finished 2-for-3 with a run scored and an RBI
- Reed - collected two hits in two at-bats and had a sacrifice
- Nate Blain - allowed three runs on six hits over six innings with four walks and nine strikeouts
- Ross Rickel - earned the save with a perfect seventh and had a strikeout
UP NEXT
- Madonna completes its spring trip and the Warner University Invitational on Saturday, March 7 at 10:30 a.m. as they face No. 7 Bellevue University (Neb.) at Head Field in Avon Park, Fla.
- Live coverage will not be available
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