SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Madonna University erupted for seven runs in the third inning and later used an eighth-inning power surge to pull away for a 15-9 win over Indiana South Bend on Saturday afternoon.
GAME 1:
Trailing 9-8 in the top of the eighth, the Crusaders reclaimed control behind a two-run home run from Aamir Mitchell and a solo shot from Kevin Davis, then tacked on four more runs in the ninth to put the game out of reach.
Madonna's offense piled up 16 hits and took advantage of nine stolen bases in the nonconference matchup. After Indiana South Bend opened the scoring with two runs in the first, the Crusaders responded with a decisive third inning, sending seven runs across to build a 7-2 advantage. Kooper Etheridge sparked the outburst with a solo home run, and Chase Gabel followed later in the frame with a two-run triple as Madonna strung together a series of RBI singles and aggressive baserunning.
Indiana South Bend chipped away at the deficit and briefly seized momentum in the middle innings. The Titans scored once in the fourth, then produced a three-run fifth keyed by RBI hits from Luis Turmero, Clint Goodman and Sam Garner to trim the margin to 7-6. After Madonna added a run to make it 8-6, Indiana South Bend answered again in the sixth. Jayden Cummings tripled to start the rally, J. Nelson reached on an error to bring in a run, and Jack Barnes delivered a two-run homer to left to give the hosts their first lead since the early innings at 9-8.
Down a run in the eighth, Madonna's lineup delivered the game's turning point. With a runner aboard, Mitchell drove a pitch over the fence for a two-run home run, flipping the score and pushing the Crusaders back in front. Moments later, Davis added more insurance with a solo homer, capping a three-run inning that gave Madonna an 11-9 cushion heading to the bottom of the eighth.
The Crusaders removed any doubt in the ninth with another extended inning at the plate. Madonna pushed across four runs in the frame, fueled by a multi-RBI single from Brett Reed and additional traffic created by the team's speed. Indiana South Bend's defense, which committed five errors in the game, struggled to close out the inning as the Crusaders stretched the lead to the final 15-9 margin.
Etheridge led a balanced Madonna attack, finishing with three hits, three RBIs, two runs scored, a home run and three stolen bases while also drawing a walk. Davis added three hits, two runs, one RBI, a home run and two steals. Mitchell drove in three with a two-hit day that included a double and his go-ahead homer. Gabel chipped in two hits, two RBIs and a triple, and Reed contributed two hits, three RBIs, two runs and two stolen bases as Madonna's top of the order and middle of the lineup consistently supplied pressure.
On the mound, Madonna's staff combined for 11 strikeouts while allowing 11 hits and six earned runs over nine innings. Despite Indiana South Bend's midgame surge and Barnes' two-run shot in the sixth, the Crusaders held the Titans scoreless over the final three innings to allow the offense to complete the comeback. With the victory, Madonna closed out a high-scoring contest by answering every Indiana South Bend push and finishing strong in the late innings.
GAME 2:
Madonna University built a big lead with a seven-run fifth inning, then held off a furious late rally to defeat Indiana South Bend 9–7 in a seven-inning contest Saturday afternoon in South Bend, Indiana.
The Crusaders led 2–1 heading into the top of the fifth before breaking the game open with a sustained offensive surge. Madonna sent a string of hitters to the plate, capitalizing on traffic created by walks and hit batters. Aamir Mitchell jump-started the outburst with an RBI double, Carson Noon forced in a run with a bases-loaded walk, and Logan Ellis followed with an RBI single. The biggest swing came from Ty Stepek, who capped the inning with a two-run double as Madonna pushed its advantage to 9–1, a margin that ultimately proved just enough.
Stepek delivered the most complete offensive performance for Madonna, finishing with three hits, including a solo home run and a double, while scoring twice and driving in three. The Crusaders' lineup combined for only five hits but made them count, pairing that contact with patience at the plate. Madonna drew 11 walks, was hit by three pitches and stole nine bases, frequently turning free passes into scoring chances. The Crusaders stranded seven runners but did most of their damage in the first, third and fifth innings, producing all nine of their runs in those frames.
Madonna struck first in the opening inning without the benefit of a hit. After a flurry of walks and an earlier caught stealing, Kooper Etheridge swiped home to give the Crusaders a 1–0 lead. Stepek extended that margin in the third inning when he launched a solo home run, pushing the advantage to 2–0. Indiana South Bend answered in the bottom of the fourth as Jayden Cummings doubled and came around to score on an RBI single from Luis Turmero, trimming the deficit to 2–1 before the decisive fifth-inning surge by Madonna.
On the mound, Madonna pitching limited Indiana South Bend to one run over the first six innings, piling up 11 strikeouts while allowing six hits. Indiana South Bend managed just four walks and left four runners on base, as Crusaders pitchers worked out of early traffic and protected the lead established by the offense. That control set the stage for the Crusaders to lean on the sizable cushion created by the fifth-inning outburst.
Indiana South Bend refused to go quietly in the bottom of the seventh, mounting a six-run rally that brought the tying run to the plate. Lucas Brown ignited the comeback with a two-run ground-rule double, and Nick Turner added an RBI groundout to further cut into the lead. Turmero then struck again, this time with a three-run home run that closed the gap to 9–7 and gave him four RBIs on the day. Madonna regrouped after the blast, recording the final outs to secure the two-run victory and avoid a complete reversal of the comfortable margin it had built.
The Crusaders finished with nine runs on five hits and one error, while Indiana South Bend posted seven runs on six hits and played error-free defense. Behind Stepek's standout day and a disciplined approach that generated extended innings, Madonna converted its biggest offensive frame into a much-needed road win, weathering Indiana South Bend's late surge to close out the seven-inning contest.
