TOLEDO – Madonna University baseball hit the road for a four-game weekend road series at Lourdes University on Saturday and Sunday. In Saturday's doubleheader, the Crusaders won game one 12-5 in seven innings, before taking game two 5-3 in 10 innings. Madonna is 28-15 overall and 22-6 in the WHAC with two games remaining in the regular season. 

Game 1:

The Donna Boys bats were hot to open game one, as Madonna scored four runs in the first inning. Anthony Sharkas doubled home Alex Garbacik for the game's first run, before coming home himself after an RBI double by Brady Krzciok. Later in the top of the first, Matt Staelgraeve hit a two-run home run to make it 4-0. 

Madonna extended their lead to 8-0 with four more runs in the top of the third. An RBI triple by Jace Matkin and two-run home run by Zachary Beadle highlighted that half inning for the Crusaders. Beadle hit his second home run of the contest in the sixth inning while Garbacik hit a two-run triple in the seventh as Madonna pitching held off a late rally by the Grey Wolves to secure the victory. 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
 

• Nate Blain (8-1) dominated on the mound with six shutout innings and five strikeouts.
• Kyle Revere drove in a run with an RBI single in the seventh inning. 
• Beadle was 3-of-4 at the plate with three RBIs.

Game 2:

It was Lourdes who scored first in game two of the afternoon with a solo home run in the bottom of the fourth inning. The Grey Wolves added two more runs in the fifth to take a 3-0 lead. In the top of the sixth, Madonna began its rally with a two-run home run by Bobby Cavin. Later in the inning, Beadle tied the game with a solo shot to center field for his third home run of the day. Neither team was able to score from there, and the game went into the 10th inning. 

The Crusaders broke through in the top half of the 10th. Sharkas got things started with a single to right center field, before coming home to score the go-ahead run following a Matkin RBI double. Matkin then came around to score as Madonna added an insurance run with an RBI single by Krzciok. The next half inning saw Brandon Rice hold Lourdes scoreless and give Madonna the doubleheader sweep. 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
 

• Rice and Riley Vermander struck out a combined 13 batters. Rice earned the victory on the mound after pitching the final five innings in relief. 
• Cavin's two RBIs led the way.
• Three Crusaders (Revere, Krzciok, and Cavin) had multi-hit games.

UP NEXT:

Madonna and Lourdes conclude their series and the regular season with a 1:00 PM doubleheader on Sunday from Mercy Field in Toledo. 

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