THE BASICS
Score: Game 1: Madonna University 6, Mount Vernon Nazarene University 9
Game 2: Madonna University 6, Warner University (Fla.) 5
Game 3: Madonna University 11, Mount Vernon Nazarene University 12
Location: Hunter Wright Stadium, Kingsport, Tenn.

KINGSPORT, Tenn. -- The Madonna University baseball team played in their first National Postseason games since the 2018-19 season. The Opening Round is a double-elimination tournament. The bracket champion advances to the Avista NAIA World Series May 27-June 3 in Lewiston, Idaho.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

GAME 1
Carson Collins got the start and was off to a hot start with a perfect two innings of work. On offense, the Crusaders would give Collins some support in the first inning. Zachary Beadle would knock in Anthony Sharkas to give the Crusaders a 1-0 lead after one. Move to the top of the third with Alex Garbasick on first, Jace Matkin would hit a two-run home run to left-center to take a 3-0 lead. 

After that good start, that's when things went south for the Crusaders. MVNU would respond with a five-run third to take a 5-3 lead. In the next three innings, the Cougars would add two more runs to make it 7-3. The Crusaders would show some fight as Matt Staelgrave would hit a solo shot to right to make it 7-4. The Cougars would shut that momentum down as they came back with a two-run eighth to ake it 9-4. In the ninth, Sharkas would hit a two-run home run but it was not enough as the Crusader fell 9-6.

GAME 2
In the second game, the Crusaders would take on No.16 Royals of Warner University (Fla.) in an elimination game. The Royals' bats woke up early as they would score two in the first and one in the third to make it 3-0. In the fourth, Madonna would rally for a five-spot to take the lead. Garbasick would double to left-center scoring Nick Krol. Two batters later, Matkin would hit his second home run of the Opening Round, this time it was a three-run shot to right field. However, Warner came back in the fourth and scored two of their own to tie the game up 5-5. 

After four scoreless innings, in the bottom of the eighth with a runner on second base, Sharkas would deliver with an RBI single to right to take a 6-5 lead. In the ninth, Ryan Dusang went to work and retired the side and the Crusaders kept their season alive winning 6-5. 

GAME 3
In the Crusaders' second elimination game of the day, the Crusaders jumped out to a solid 3-0 lead. With two outs and runners on first and second, Aaron Sexton hit a three-run homer to make it 6-0 after one. To start of the bottom of the second, Garbasick homers once more to make it 7-1. After a quiet third inning, the Cougars walk in three batters in a row and scoring off a wild pitch made it 11-1. 

This is where things went downhill for Madonna. Their bats went cold and MVNU started to rally. The Cougars would score four runs in the fifth, one run in the seventh, and five runs in the top of the ninth to tie it 11-11. In the 10th, the Cougars would walk it off and the Crusaders' season would end in heartbreaking fashion 12-11. 

BY THE NUMBERS:

• Matkin: 7-11, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 
• Garbasick: 5-15, 2B, 2 RBI
• Sharkas: 4-15, 2B, HR, 3 RBI
• Staelgrave: 4-11, HR, 2 RBI

UP NEXT
This concludes the Crusaders' 2022 season and will return to the diamond next spring.

CONNECT WITH THE CRUSADERS: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube
SUBSCRIBE/DOWNLOAD TEAM SCHEDULES: Download Center
DOWNLOAD THE NEW MOBILE APP: Google Play | iOS