LIVONIA, Mich. - The Madonna University softball team saw miscues lead to a game one loss before the offense powered a game two win for a Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference split with Concordia University (Mich.) at University Field on Wednesday afternoon. 

The win moves the Blue and Gold to 13-5 on the year and 2-2 in league play while the Cardinals fall to 16-13 on the season and 4-2 in the WHAC.

GAME 1: Madonna 6, Concordia 7
Game one was a tale of two games as the teams combined for five first-inning runs and then seven between the fifth and six, but neither offense did much in the middle frames. An RBI double and a run-scoring, infield single gave the visitors a 2-0 lead. It was a short-lived lead as Veronica Pezzoni led off the game with a double to left, Sarah Holton singled on a bunt and Kattie Popko put MU in front with a 3-run home run to left field. 

A solo home run in the third tied the game and both offenses went quiet until the bottom of the fifth when the Crusaders plated three runs on two hits and a Concordia error. Pezzoni led off the frame with a walk, stole second, and scored on a Brooke Garbarino base hit. Brooklyn Dolloff pushed the lead to three with a two-run triple to right field. 

Unfortunately, a pair of hits and a groundout plated one Cardinal run before a pair of MU errors led to three unearned runs to give the visitors the 7-6 advantage. The Blue and Gold stranded three runners in the final two frames in the loss.

Pezzoni led the Crusaders' offense with a 2-for-2 outing with two runs scored while Popko finished 1-for-4 with two runs scored and three RBI. Concordia outhit MU 8-7. Maeson Schlaud took the tough-luck loss as she allowed four runs, one earned, over three innings with three hits, two walks, and two strikeouts in relief of Madisen Henry who allied three runs on five hits over three innings with a walk and a strikeout. 

GAME 2: Madonna 9, Concordia 7
A leadoff home run for the Cardinals once again gave them the early lead, but the Madonna offense responded in a big way. The Crusaders sent 10 batters to the plate and scored seven runs on four hits, and a pair of Concordia errors. 

Garbarino got the scoring started with an RBI single, Amy Clegg drove in a pair with a two-out base hit, and Alyssa Fessenden pushed the lead to five with a base hit through the right side. Pezzoni, who got the inning going, drove in the final tally with a single to right for the 7-1 lead. 

Concordia tallied single runs in the second and third frames before three errors led to a pair of Madonna runs off the bat of Fessenden to push the lead back to six. In the sixth, the Cardinals put a rally together, capped by a grand slam to cut the advantage to two, before the game was called due to darkness. 

Ciera Jones earned the win to move to 6-0 as she allowed three runs on six hits with two walks and a strikeout while Fessenden (2-for-2) and Pezzoni (2-for-4) each tallied a pair of hits to lead the seven-hit attack. Clegg produced two runs and drove in a pair while Bailey Martin-Brown also scored twice. Concordia again outhit Madonna 8-7 but committed seven errors.

UP NEXT
The Crusaders return to action on Saturday, April 10 as they head to Brighton to take on the University of Michigan-Dearborn at the Legacy Sports Complex with first pitch set at 1 p.m. 

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