COLUMBUS, Ga. - The sixth-seeded Madonna University softball team belted out 15 hits, the second-most on the season, and scored 10 runs en route to a 10-6 victory over third seed and 12th-ranked Olivet Nazarene University (Ill.) in their first game at the NAIA Softball World Series at R.G. Jones Field in the South Commons Softball Complex on Thursday night. 

It's the fourth time this season Madonna has scored 10 or more runs and the second time they've tallied 15 hits. 

The offense got to work early behind freshman starter Maeson Schlaud as the Blue and Gold sent 12 batters to the plate in a seven-run second inning. The Crusaders pounded out seven hits and drew a pair of walks in the frame with the big hit coming off the bat of Brooklyn Dolloff. Alyssa Fessenden got the inning going with a leadoff walk, moved to second on a Jenna Gilbert sacrifice bunt and scored on a Makayla Bassage single up the middle. Amy Clegg, Veronica Pezzoni, and Sarah Holton followed with singles with Pezzoni driving in Bassage. Kattie Popko walked to plate a run and Dolloff cleared the bases with a single to right-center. Fessenden added a base hit and Gilbert singled home Dolloff for the 7-0 lead. 



Both offenses were silent until the fifth when the Tigers used three hits and an error to get a pair of runs, but the Crusaders added some insurance in the top of the seventh with three runs on four hits and an ONU error. Brooke Garbarino walked, Dolloff singled, and Fessenden laid down a perfect bunt for a base hit to load the bases for pinch hitter Selena Deault who drove in a run. A wild pitch plated another and Pezzoni singled with two outs for the eight-run advantage. 

The Crusaders made a host of defensive changes in the bottom of the frame and the Tigers didn't make things easy as the Bourbonnais, Illinois program scored four runs on three hits, two walks and an error before Schlaud came back into the game for the final out. 

Pezzoni (3-for-5) and Fessenden (3-for-3) led the offense with three hits each while Holton (2-for-4), Dolloff (2-for-4), and Clegg (2-for-2) each had two hits. Clegg has had an incredible postseason as she is hitting .464 (13-for-28) with five runs and eight RBI, in fact, Madonna is 8-1 when she records a hit and has lost both games in which she has not. 

Nine different Crusaders scored in the contest with Dolloff scoring twice while Pezzoni and Dolloff each had two of MU's eight RBI. 

Maeson Schlaud earned her 12th win of the season as she allowed two runs, one earned, on six hits with four strikeouts over 6.1 innings while Madisen Henry allowed four unearned runs on three hits and a pair of walks in 0.2 innings of relief. 



The Crusaders will face the winner of Friday's No. 7 Mount Mercy (Iowa)-No. 2 Oregon Tech matchup on Saturday, May 29 at 7 p.m. Live coverage of the game will be available at www.mucrusaders.com/coverage. Live stats are free while live video is $9.95 per game or $29.95 for a championship pass. 

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