FORT WAYNE, Ind. - Madonna built a four-run lead by the middle innings Sunday, but Indiana Tech answered with a decisive rally in the fifth and added the winning run in the sixth to hand the Crusaders a 7-6 loss.
GAME 1:Â
The turning point came in the bottom of the fifth. After Madonna carried a 6-2 advantage into the inning, Indiana Tech scored once on a Crusaders error at third base, then got a two-run double from Dane Richards down the right-field line to erase the deficit. The hosts pushed across another run in the sixth, when Derek Ruiz singled to right and Keelan Dunkle later scored on a throwing miscue, to move in front for good.
Madonna's offense had control early. Aamir Mitchell opened the scoring with a solo home run to center in the first, and Donovan Thompson followed later in the inning with an RBI single to right after Chris Clark stole third. Brett Reed added a solo homer in the second, and Gus Simon gave the Crusaders their largest lead in the fourth with a two-run shot to left that made it 5-1. Luke Spicer then homered to right-center in the fifth, giving Madonna a 6-2 cushion.
Spicer paced Madonna at the plate, going 3 for 4 with a home run and one RBI. Reed finished 2 for 3 with a homer, while Simon's only hit produced two runs. The Crusaders outhit Indiana Tech 10-8 and got four home runs in the loss, but three errors proved costly as the lead slipped away late.
Indiana Tech stayed within reach with extra-base hits throughout the afternoon. Garrett Rainey doubled home a run in the first, Quinn Seefeldt added an RBI single in the fourth, and Richards finished with two doubles and two RBIs. The home team also took advantage of Madonna's mistakes while producing four doubles and drawing three walks.
Colton Leatherman earned the win with 2.0 scoreless innings in relief for Indiana Tech, allowing two hits and striking out two over 36 pitches. Brendan VanTubergen and Leatherman combined to hold Madonna scoreless over the final two innings, closing out the one-run game after the Crusaders had scored in four of the first five innings.
GAME 2:
Madonna built a three-run lead twice Sunday afternoon, but Indiana Tech's 10-run bottom of the fourth inning turned the game and sent the Crusaders to a 20-16 loss in a high-scoring matchup at Indiana Tech.
The decisive stretch came immediately after Madonna had gone back in front, 10-7, on Aamir Mitchell's second home run of the day, a two-run shot to right-center in the top of the fourth. Indiana Tech answered with its biggest inning of the game, surging for 10 runs to take a 17-10 lead. Ben Morrison delivered a two-RBI triple during the rally, and the inning also included RBI hits plus a two-run home run from Jack Ferguson and a solo homer by Brycen Hannah.
Madonna's offense produced enough to win on many days. The Crusaders scored 16 runs on 18 hits, including six doubles and two home runs, and grabbed control early with a two-run first inning. Donovan Thompson opened the scoring with a two-run double to left that brought home Chris Clark and Luke Spicer for a 2-0 advantage. In the second, Mitchell's three-run homer to left-center highlighted a four-run frame and pushed the lead to 6-1.
Indiana Tech kept answering, scoring four times in the second and two more in the third, but Madonna still reclaimed momentum in the fourth when Mitchell struck again. Mitchell finished with three hits, five RBIs, four runs scored, two home runs and a walk. Thompson added three hits, two doubles and four RBIs, including another two-run double in the fifth as the Crusaders mounted their last major push.
That fifth inning nearly reset the game. Madonna scored five runs to trim the deficit to 17-15, with Thompson's double to right-center driving in two of them. The Crusaders got one run back in the seventh to make it 18-16, but Indiana Tech added key insurance across the middle innings. Ferguson's solo homer in the sixth stretched the lead to three, and Keelan Dunkle's two-run single up the middle in the bottom of the seventh accounted for the final margin.
Indiana Tech finished with 20 runs on 19 hits, including four home runs, while Madonna committed three errors and allowed 20 earned runs over eight innings. Morrison scored four times and drove in four runs for Indiana Tech, and Garrett Rainey added four hits and two RBIs. Madonna left just five runners on base and kept pressure on throughout, but the fourth-inning swing proved too much to overcome.
