ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The Madonna University baseball team (17-15, 5-3 WHAC) dropped a close contest to Concordia University (MI) on Sunday afternoon, losing 6-4 in a hard-fought battle. The Crusaders struck early but were unable to maintain their lead, as the Cardinals capitalized on key moments to secure the win. In a tightly contested game two, the Crusaders were narrowly defeated by the Cardinals, 6-5, in the final game of their series on Sunday afternoon. Despite a late-game rally, the Crusaders were unable to overcome a three-run deficit, as the Cardinals held on for the win.


Game 1:
Madonna came out swinging in the top of the first inning. A fielding error by Concordia's left fielder allowed Jason Serafinchon to reach base, and he quickly advanced to second. This miscue allowed Aiden Shipman and Kyle Revere to score, putting Madonna up 2-0 early. It seemed like the Crusaders had control, but the game quickly turned.
The Cardinals answered in the bottom of the second inning with a solo home run by J. Kozlowski to center field, cutting the Madonna lead to 2-1. While the Crusaders were quiet in the middle innings, Concordia took advantage of the opportunities that came their way. In the fourth inning, J. Burke hit a 2-run homer to center field, and shortly after, T. Wressel added a solo shot to left field, giving Concordia a 4-2 advantage.
Madonna could not capitalize on scoring opportunities in the later innings. Despite their best efforts, including a couple of chances in the sixth and seventh innings, the Crusaders were unable to break through against Concordia's pitching.
In the bottom of the sixth, Concordia added two more runs, taking a commanding 6-2 lead. Madonna answered with two runs of their own in the top of the seventh but fell short, unable to bridge the gap.
T. Acker (5-0) of Concordia earned the win, while Madonna's Matthew Sevensma (1-2) took the loss despite showing resilience on the mound. Despite some strong individual performances, Madonna struggled to get timely hits, while Concordia made the most of their chances.

Game 2:
Madonna struck first in the second inning with Luke Spicer reaching base on a fielding error, and with the help of a fielder's choice by Johnny Stepek, Spicer came home to score the game's first run. Madonna led 1-0 as they capitalized on Concordia's early mistake.
The Crusaders would pick up another run in the third inning after an RBI single from Bobby Cavin that would bring across T. Stepek to take an early 2-0 lead. 
The Cardinals answered back in the third inning with a powerful offensive surge. T. Wressel singled to left field, advancing to second on the throw, while D. Hebner advanced to third and scored, to cut the lead to just one with the score being 1-2. With two outs and two runners in scoring position, Concordia capitalized on a timely hit, taking a 3-1 lead with a 2-run single by J. Kuhlman.
The Crusaders didn't let up, scoring another run in the third to close the gap to 3-2. Clark would pick up an RBI on a double down the left field line. Madonna's offense seemed poised to mount a comeback.
In the fourth inning, Concordia extended their lead with a single run, making it 4-2. The Crusaders had opportunities to respond but couldn't capitalize as they had in earlier innings.
Madonna attempted to mount a late rally, however, Concordia expanded their lead in the sixth inning, adding two runs to go ahead 6-3. The Crusaders would have an answer, scoring two runs in the seventh inning to bring the game within one at 6-5. The Crusaders' comeback was sparked by timely hits from T. Stepek and Serafinchon.
Despite a valiant effort in the final frames, Madonna couldn't get the tying run across. The Crusaders fell short, suffering a 6-5 loss to Concordia.

UP NEXT:

The Crusaders will be back in action Monday, March 17th to make up their game with Cleary that was rescheduled from Saturday, March 15th due to weather. First pitch is set for 1:00 PM.   


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