GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - In their first outing since returning from Myrtle Beach, the (RV) Madonna Crusaders Softball Team (17-5) geared up to begin play in the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) with a double-header against the Cornerstone University (Mich.) Golden Eagles (6-8). Running the show for the Crusaders was their 2022 All-American pitcher Maeson Schlaud who threw a perfect game to open the afternoon in a historic manner for Madonna. As the Golden Eagles didn't even step foot on-base, the Crusaders ran away with the first game 6-0. While the Golden Eagles would get on the board in the afternoon's second matchup, it wouldn't be enough to stop Madonna from opening up WHAC play with a clean sweep of Cornerstone, winning comfortably 13-3 in Game 2.

GAME 1:

Alissa Gauthier led off for the Crusaders in the top of the first, driving her pitch to center field for a single. After using her speed to steal second, she advanced to third on the next at bat. Autumn Reed stepped up next and hit Gauthier home to give the Crusaders the 1-0 lead.

As the Crusaders shifted to the field in the bottom of the second, Maeson Schlaud took the mound and made quick work of the Golden Eagles' first three batters. In the bottom of the following inning, she served up two more strikeouts as the Golden Eagles left the inning once again without a hit. Schlaud continued to toy with their batters in the bottom of the third, throwing three straight strikeouts — all swinging.

As Schlaud kept the Golden Eagles at bay, the Crusaders were unable to pull away early, held without a run in three-straight innings after Gauthier's run. Their momentum finally shifted in the top of the fifth inning thanks to a huge hit from Emily Biggott that barrelled down the left field line for a triple. With the Crusaders back to the top of the lineup, Gauthier took the plate next and hit Biggott home for the score. Gauthier once again stole second, continuing to elude the Golden Eagles' fielders. Bailey Martin hit her home on the next at-bat. Gauthier's second run of the day gave the Crusaders some breathing room, now up 3-0.

Heading into the seventh inning, the Golden Eagles still failed to get a hit off of Schlaud, yet to step foot on base this afternoon. With the bases loaded for the Crusaders early in the top of the seventh, Martin came up big again with her second RBI of the game. Martin's single brought home Emily Theisen for the Crusader's score. A single by Reed to right field would be good enough to record her second RBI of the day, and for Biggott to score her second run of the afternoon. The final blow by the Crusaders came off of a fly out by Jenna Gilbert that gave Gauthier the opportunity to book it home and score her third run of the game.

With half of an inning between her and every pitcher's magnum opus, Schlaud returned to the mound to face the Golden Eagles one last time. Against the game's final batter, Schlaud iced the Golden Eagles in the best way possible, striking her out looking and completing her perfect game and leading the Crusaders to the 6-0 victory. 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
 

• Schlaud's perfect game included 12 strikeouts in just 21 batters faced.
• Gauthier went 2-of-4, scoring three runs and recorded one RBI.
• Martin was 3-of-4 at the plate, bringing in two RBIs.
• Biggott scored two runs and hit the game's lone triple.
• Reed tied with Martin for the most RBIs of the game with two.

GAME 2:

Coming off their perfect game, the Crusaders came out slow at the plate in the first inning. Sophomore pitcher Jane Anderson, who relieved Schlaud for the second match of the double header, held the Golden Eagles without a hit as the Crusaders quickly stepped back up to the plate. Big-hitting freshman Jessica Dunkel fired off a hit deep to left field, getting her all the way to third base. Theisen followed up her triple by finding the gap in left field for a single that brought Dunkel home to put Madonna up 1-0.

Taking back over in the top of the third, Madonna tacked on two more runs thanks to an error by Cornerstone's shortstop which gave Gauthier and Biggott the chance to book it home. Another Cornerstone error, this time by their third baseman, led to the speedy Hope College transfer Lucy Bennin getting home to give Madonna the 4-0 lead. The Golden Eagles still weren't out of the inning yet, as Gabby Toth brought home Jenna Gilbert to put them up 5-0 at the end of the third.

The Crusaders' big third inning caused the Golden Eagles to switch out their pitcher to start the fourth, but it wouldn't make much of a difference. Kelsi Littleton drove the relief pitcher's throw deep to center field, making it to second. Another error by Cornerstone's shortstop, this time off of a hit by Gauther, gave Littleton the chance to make it all the way home for her first run of the day. Reed soon hit Gauthier home for her second run of the game to close out the inning with the Crusaders up 7-0.

It wouldn't be until the bottom of the fifth that the Golden Eagles would finally erase their goose egg on the scoreboard with their first run of the series off of a Crusaders' error. Madonna would step right back up in the top of the sixth, matching Cornerstone's score with another run of their own. After reaching first on yet another Cornerstone error, Biggott stole her way to second. On the next at bat, she would book it to third, hungry for her fourth run of the series. She would get it on the next at bat as Martin brought her in to extend their lead to 8-1.

Cornerstone would score two more runs in the bottom of the sixth, but Madonna would run up the score to close them out in the seventh. With the bases loaded, Littleton was able to drop one right in the right field gap for a single that gave Toth and Dunkel enough time to get home. Biggott stepped back up to the plate next, rattling off a single that brought Theisen home for her first run of the game. Gauthier grounded out on the next at bat, but not before bringing Littleton home for her second run of the day.

The final score of the day came from Biggott once again. She made it home off of a single by Martin for her third run of the game: a career high. The final dagger landed by Biggott secured another dominant win for Madonna: 13-3 over Cornerstone.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
 

• Biggott went 2-of-4 at the plate, leading the team in runs with three and recording one RBI.
• Martin had the team high again for RBIs, this time with three.
• Littleton also went 2-of-4 and scored two runs and two RBIs.
• Dunkel also scored two runs and one RBI.
• Anderson threw six strikeouts in five innings pitched.

UP NEXT:

The Crusaders will be back in action as they continue conference play in the WHAC on Wednesday, March 28th with a double-header at the University of Northwestern Ohio beginning at 2:30 pm.

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