Rock the Baby Maz
Zoe Zdunczyk - MU Sports Media
8
Indiana Tech INDIANA 2-13
9
Winner Madonna MADONNA 6-12
Indiana Tech INDIANA
2-13
8
Final
9
Madonna MADONNA
6-12
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Indiana Tech INDIANA 1 0 1 2 0 4 0 8 8 4
Madonna MADONNA 3 4 0 0 0 2 X 9 5 3

W: Assaf, Sam (1-1) L: R. Uhlenhake (0-2) S: Dusang, Ryan (1)

5
Indiana Tech INDIANA 2-14
14
Winner Madonna MADONNA 7-12
Indiana Tech INDIANA
2-14
5
Final
14
Madonna MADONNA
7-12
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Indiana Tech INDIANA 0 0 1 3 1 0 0 0 0 5 4 3
Madonna MADONNA 0 1 7 0 0 4 0 2 X 14 9 1

W: Cummins, Dustin (1-0) L: N. Mack (0-2)

Game Recap: Baseball | | Kellen Burke

Crusaders sweep Warriors in home opener

LIVONIA, Mich. - Returning home from their spring break trip, the Madonna Crusaders' baseball team (6-12, 1-1) hosted their first game of 2024 at Ilitch Ballpark against the Indiana Tech Warriors (2-13, 0-2) in a Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference matchup. The first game would be a nail-biter as the Crusaders would escape 9-8 in Game One of the double-header. In Game Two, it was all Crusaders as they soared to a 14-5 victory to secure the sweep in their home opener.

GAME ONE:

The Crusaders' ace Riley Vermander took the mound for the Crusaders in the first game of the series. The Warriors would get on the board first in the top of the first inning, but the Crusaders would go to work in the bottom to get it back. Payton Mazzola, the junior transfer from Lansing Community College, led off for the Crusaders with a triple to right center. An error during the next at-bat led to Mazzola rounding third for the Crusaders' first run, and allowing pre-season All-American outfielder Anthony Sharkas to reach second. An error on the next play brought Sharkas home and got junior Kyle Revere on base. A wild pitch would bring him home as the Crusaders led 3-1 after one inning.

The Warriors were quiet in the second inning but the Crusaders would tack on four runs in the bottom of the inning. Mazzola scored his second run of the game off of a single from designated hitter Bobby Cavin. Sharkas would score his second next on a bases-loaded walk by the Warriors. Stepping up to bat next, sophomore Avain Rivera hit a two-RBI single to extend the Crusaders' lead to 7-1 after two innings.



The Warriors began to crawl back as the Crusaders were shut down offensively in the next four innings. They inched their way to a 8-7 lead over the Crusaders after the top of the sixth.

The Crusaders would rally a comeback in the bottom of the sixth as Mazzola scored his third run as he stole home after an error from the Warriors' catcher, tying the game at 8-8. A sacrifice fly from Cavin brought home Revere for what would go on to be the game-winning run. The Crusaders held off the Warriors in the top of the seventh inning and took a 9-8 victory in Game One.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
  • Mazzola went 2-of-3 at the plate with three runs, a double and a triple.
  • Cavin scored one run and brought in two RBIs.
  • Sharkas scored two runs with one RBI.

GAME TWO:

The Crusaders got off to a slow start in Game Two comparatively with their first outing of the afternoon, but it wouldn't stay that way for long. The first run of the game was by Crusaders' freshman third-baseman Nick Sandiha Jr. who scored on a fielder's choice. The Warriors would answer back with a tying run in the top of the third.

The Crusaders got rolling in the bottom of the third, with runs from junior Aiden Shipman, as well as Sharkas, Mazzola, Revere, Sandiha, junior second-baseman Nick Krol, and Rivera. The offensive explosion put the Crusaders ahead 8-1 after three innings.

The Warriors answered back with three runs in the top of the fourth and one in the fifth, but Crusader pitcher Nick Torrez would shut them out for the remainder of play. 

In the bottom of the sixth, the Crusaders would get back on track with a bases-loaded triple by Sharkas to extend their lead by three. Sharkas would come home on a sacrifice fly during the next at-bat to make it a 12-5 game after six.



Mazzola and Sharkas would each score again in the bottom of the eighth to extend their lead to 14-5. Torrez and the Crusader defense would hold off the Warriors in the top of the ninth to take the 14-5 win and series sweep over the Warriors in their home opener.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
  • Mazzola went 3-of-5 at the plate with three runs.
  • Sharkas recorded four RBIs and a triple.
  • Krol and Sandiha each had two runs and two RBIs.
UP NEXT:

The Crusaders will return home next Saturday, March 23rd for the first game of a four-game series against the Racers of the University of Northwestern Ohio (13-7, 4-0). First pitch of the double-header is slated for 1:00 p.m. at Ilitch Ballpark.

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