THE BASICS

Saturday, Game 1: Madonna University 11, University of Michigan-Dearborn 6

Saturday, Game 2: Madonna 12, Michigan-Dearborn 5

Sunday, Game 1: Madonna 4, Lawrence Technological University (Mich.)

Sunday, Game 2: Madonna 12, Lawrence Tech 13

Records: Madonna 20-11 (13-7), Michigan-Dearborn 6-25 (2-15), Lawrence Tech 21-18 (13-6)

Location: Harwell Baseball Field, Detroit, Mich., Jimmy John's Field, Utica, Mich.

UTICA, Mich. -- The Madonna University baseball team played a pair of doubleheaders over the weekend, both Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) tilts. On Saturday, the Crusaders swept the University of Michigan-Dearborn, and on Sunday dropped two to Lawrence Technological University (Mich.).

SATURDAY, GAME 1

The Crusaders got on the board in a hurry, as Zachary Beadle hit an RBI single to score Alex Garbacik in the top of the first inning. Matt Staelgraeve doubled to score Beadle to make it a 2-0 ballgame. Steffen Dyl would later single to score both Staelgraeve and Jace Matkin.

After the Wolverines got the score to within one, Anthony Sharkas doubled in the top of the fourth to score Nick Krol, to give the Crusaders a 5-3 lead. After the game was tied at five, Ryan Celmer hit an RBI double in the top of the fifth as Kyle Revere secored. 

The Crusaders broke the game open in the top of the sixth, as Jace Matkin drove in two runs on a single. Staelgraeve followed up with a double to score Matkin and Beadle, and would score on a wild pitch to make the score 11-5. 

Carson Collins started the game on the mound for Madonna, and went three and a third innings. He allowed four earned runs on seven hits, and struck out four. Blake Garrison relieved him in the fourth and went the rest of the way for the Crusaders, only allowing one run on three hits.

SATURDAY, GAME 2

In game two, Madonna opened the scoring in the top of the second. Revere doubled to score Staelgraeve, and Revere would later score on a balk. In the next inning, Sharkas and the pinch-running Kyle Aniol scored when Staelgraeve reached on an error. This made the score 4-0, with a Crusaders lead. 

In the top of the fourth, Krol and Garbacik hit back to back solo home runs to increase the score to 6-0. In the sixth, Dylan Pawesnki doubled while pinch-hitting, scoring Garbacik. Pawenski would score when Beadle reached first on an error.

UM-Dearborn would cut the lead to 8-5. In the bottom of the eighth, the Crusaders added insurance runs when Beadle homered, also scoring Pawenski. Later in the inning, Aniol would double to score Matkin, to increase the Madonna lead to 11-5. 

Danny Bullard started the game for the Crusaders, getting his fourth win of the season. He went six innings, and only allowed one earned run on six hits. He also struck out six while walking three. He was relieved  by Danny Medlock, who went the final three innings, allowing one run on three hits.

SUNDAY, GAME 1

The Crusaders got on the board in the top of the third, as a Matkin double scored Beadle and Garbacik. Madonna would hold the lead until the fifth inning, when Lawrence Tech put up six runs in the frame.

The Blue and Gold tried to mount a comeback with a pair of homeruns, as Matkin hit a solo homer in the sixth, and Celmer added one of his own in the top of the 7th. Madonna was unable to come all the way back, however, and dropped the game 7-4.

SUNDAY, GAME 2

The Crusaders opened the scoring in a hurry in the nightcap, as Garbacik scored when Matkin reached on an error. Staelgraeve would then drive in two runs on a single to make it 3-0. The Blue Devils got one back in the bottom of the first, but in the third, Celmer drove in a run on a single to get the lead back to three. 

Lawrence Tech scored six in the bottom of the third, but the Crusaders came right back to cut it to one, as Sharkas hit a two run shot in the top of the fourth. In the fifth, the Crusaders tied the game up at seven as Celmer scored when Sharkas drove in a run reaching on an error. 

The Crusaders added three more in the top of the sixth, as Dyl scored on an error, as did Garbacik. Krol would then score on a Sharkas sacrifice fly. In the seventh, Madonna made the score 11-8 when Aaron Sexton walked in a run. However, in the bottom of the eighth, Lawrence Tech took the lead 12-11, and was able to hold on for the sweep. 

BY THE NUMBERS

• Staelgraeve: 7-16, 2B, 3B, 7 RBI, 5 R, 2 BB

• Sharkas: 7-12, HR, 2B, 5 RBI, 4 R, 2 BB

• Celmer: 5-10, HR, 2B, 3 RBI, 2 R

• Six different Crusaders homer (Garbacik, Beadle, Krol, Matkin, Celmer, Sharkas)

UP NEXT

The Crusaders will close out their regular season on Saturday, April 30, as they take on Concordia University Ann Arbor (Mich.) in a doubleheader. The games will be played in Ann Arbor, Mich.

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