NOVI, MI, - Game 1: Madonna University erased a four-run deficit with a late surge, capping a three-run seventh inning on Luke Spicer's go-ahead RBI single to earn a 5–4 come-from-behind win over Cleary (MI) on Saturday afternoon at Al Moran Field.
Trailing 4–2 entering the bottom of the seventh, the Crusaders mounted their decisive rally with timely hitting and pressure on the bases. After Madonna put the tying run aboard, Kooper Etheridge ripped a triple down the right-field line, driving in two runs to pull the Crusaders even at 4–4. Moments later, Spicer followed with a single to right that scored Etheridge, giving Madonna its first lead of the game and the eventual final margin.
Cleary controlled the early innings, capitalizing on a Madonna miscue to take a 1–0 lead in the top of the first. Brodie Mackay grounded out to first base to bring home Brendan Seman, who scored an unearned run. The Cougars doubled their advantage in the fourth when Joey Parinello homered to left field, pushing the lead to 2–0. They appeared to take full command in the sixth, adding two more runs on a run-scoring double from Ryan Rose and an RBI infield single by Braylon Hughes to make it 4–0.
Madonna's offense, held scoreless through five innings, answered in the bottom of the sixth. The Crusaders loaded the bases and drew their first run when Donovan Thompson worked a bases-loaded walk to force in Ty Stepek. Etheridge then lifted a sacrifice fly to center field, bringing home Stepek's fellow baserunner to cut the deficit in half at 4–2 and set the stage for the dramatic seventh inning.
Etheridge finished 2-for-4 with two runs scored, two RBIs and the pivotal seventh-inning triple, while Stepek added a hit, a double, two runs scored and a hit-by-pitch as part of Madonna's seven-hit, five-run attack. Spicer went 1-for-4 but delivered the game's biggest swing with his run-scoring single in the seventh. Overall, the Crusaders out-hit Cleary 7–5, drew six walks and stole three bases, grinding out runs despite not leaving the yard.
On the mound, Madonna relied on a steady start from right-hander Alex Duley, who worked 6.0 innings in a combined pitching effort. Despite the early unearned run and Cleary's two-run sixth, the Crusaders' staff limited the Cougars to five hits and three walks while striking out three, keeping the game within reach for the offense to rally late. Defensively, Madonna committed just one error, while Cleary played error-free baseball but could not hold its lead.
With the win, Madonna turned what looked like a comfortable Cleary advantage into a statement comeback at home. The Crusaders' late-inning resilience, highlighted by Etheridge's extra-base power and Spicer's timely hitting, provides momentum as Madonna continues its early-season slate at Al Moran Field.
Game 2:
A five-run eighth inning proved decisive as Madonna University dropped a 9-3 nonconference decision to Cleary in the afternoon game at Al Moran Field.
Trailing 3-1 after seven innings, the Crusaders remained within striking distance before Cleary broke the game open in the top of the eighth. The visitors strung together a series of run-scoring swings and a hit-by-pitch with the bases loaded to stretch the margin to 8-1, then added another run in the ninth to move in front 9-1. Madonna answered with a pair of runs in the bottom of the ninth on back-to-back RBI singles, but the late push came too late to overcome the Cougars' 16-hit attack.
Cleary struck early with two runs in the first inning on consecutive RBI singles by Brodie Mackay and Jake VanderHaar. Madonna pitching then settled in and kept the game within reach, allowing just one additional run over the next four innings before a sixth-inning RBI single by Austin Vincent made it 3-0. The Crusaders broke through in the seventh when Ty Rowe came around to score on a sacrifice fly by Carson Noon, trimming the deficit to 3-1 and giving Madonna momentum heading into the late innings.
That momentum turned in the eighth. VanderHaar ignited the decisive frame with another run-scoring single, and Cleary continued to apply pressure with base hits from Ryan Rose and pitcher Brendan Seman, along with a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch drawn by Vincent. When the inning ended, five runs had crossed, pushing the Cougar advantage to 8-1. Conner Boone tacked on an RBI infield single in the ninth to cap the Cleary scoring.
Madonna's offense produced seven hits and did its best work late. After Noon's sacrifice fly in the seventh, the Crusaders continued to battle in their final at-bat. Noon singled to start a two-run rally in the bottom of the ninth, and Jack Nilson followed with a run-scoring single to bring the final margin to 9-3. Madonna also drew two walks and had six runners left on base, but could not manufacture the big inning needed to match Cleary's eighth-inning surge.
On the mound, Crusader pitchers were forced to navigate constant traffic as Cleary finished with 16 hits and nine runs, all earned, over nine innings. Madonna's staff recorded six strikeouts across 9.0 innings. Defensively, both teams were clean, as neither side committed an error.
Despite the setback, the Crusaders showed resilience with their late scoring and will look to build on the ninth-inning production as they continue their early-season schedule.
