FORT WAYNE, Ind. - Madonna was shut out by Indiana Tech, 12-0, on Saturday afternoon after the host Warriors scored in the first, second, fourth and fifth innings and never allowed the Crusaders to gain traction.
GAME 1:
The decisive stretch came early and then widened in the middle innings. Indiana Tech took a 2-0 lead in the first when Jack Ferguson doubled to right-center to bring home Derek Ruiz, then added another run on an error. The Warriors pushed the margin to 5-0 in the second. Quinn Seefeldt lifted a sacrifice fly, and Garrett Rainey followed with a two-run single up the middle that scored Ben Morrison and Keelan Dunkle.
Any chance of a comeback disappeared in the fourth, when Indiana Tech scored five times to stretch the lead to 10-0. Morrison hit a two-run homer to right-center for a 7-0 advantage. Later in the inning, Rainey came home on a wild pitch, and Brycen Hannah added a two-run homer to right field. The Warriors closed the scoring in the fifth on Morrison's RBI single to right-center and Rainey's sacrifice fly.
Madonna finished with five hits, three walks and six runners left on base, but could not string together the timely swings needed against Indiana Tech starter Noah Redmon. Redmon threw a complete-game shutout, allowing five hits over seven innings while walking three and striking out seven on 90 pitches.
Indiana Tech collected 11 hits and drew five walks. Morrison led the offense by going 3-for-3 with a home run, three RBIs and two runs scored. Rainey added two hits and three RBIs, while Hannah supplied a two-run homer. Madonna committed two errors in the loss, while Indiana Tech was charged with one.
By the time the fifth inning ended, the Crusaders were facing a 12-run deficit and Redmon had full control of the game, closing out the seven-inning shutout as Madonna was held scoreless through the final out.
GAME 2:
Madonna turned a one-run deficit into control of the game with a four-run third inning, then rode Luke Spicer's four-RBI afternoon and seven strong innings from Jason Jurczyk to a 6-3 win over Indiana Tech on Saturday in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
Indiana Tech struck first in the bottom of the first when Derek Ruiz scored on a wild pitch, but the Crusaders answered decisively two innings later. Madonna sent four runs across in the top of the third to move in front 4-1. The rally included Donovan Thompson reaching on a third-base error that brought in runs, and Spicer followed with a two-run single to cap the inning and give Madonna the lead for good.
Spicer added to that advantage in the sixth. With runners aboard, he lined a two-run double to push the margin to 6-1 and finish a 3-for-5 day with four RBIs. Kooper Etheridge collected two hits, scored twice and stole a base, while Brett Reed also had two hits, scored two runs, doubled and drew two walks as Madonna finished with nine hits and five walks.
Jurczyk gave Madonna the stability it needed on the mound after the first-inning run. The right-hander worked seven innings, allowed two hits and one earned run, struck out five and earned the win on 107 pitches. As a staff, the Crusaders limited Indiana Tech to three hits over nine innings, while the bullpen closed out the final two frames.
Indiana Tech made a late push, starting with Dane Richards' solo home run to left-center in the bottom of the seventh. The hosts added another run in the ninth on Ben Hammond's RBI groundout, trimming the deficit to three, but could not draw closer. Madonna finished the game having stranded 11 runners, yet the third-inning surge and Spicer's extra-base hit in the sixth provided more than enough offense.
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