Livonia, Mich. - Madonna pulled even in the fourth inning, but visiting Northwestern Ohio answered in the fifth and added needed separation in the seventh for a 4-1 win Friday at Livonia.
GAME 1:
The decisive stretch came late. After the teams traded runs in the fourth, Northwestern Ohio moved back in front in the top of the fifth when Jake Watson reached earlier in the inning and advanced before Eliomar Otero lined an RBI single to left for a 2-1 lead. The visitors then broke it open in the seventh. Fabian Romero doubled to right-center to bring home Watson, and Otero followed with a double down the right-field line to score Romero and extend the margin to three.
Madonna's best offensive moment came in the bottom of the fourth. Ty Stepek tripled to right-center and later scored on a wild pitch, tying the game at 1-1 after Northwestern Ohio had gone in front earlier in the inning on Zach Grigalis' RBI single. The Crusaders finished with six hits, drew four walks and stole three bases, but stranded eight runners and did not score again.
Jason Jurczyk gave Madonna a chance to stay in the game throughout the afternoon. The right-hander worked seven innings, allowed four runs, two earned, on 10 hits and struck out five on 91 pitches. Northwestern Ohio did not break through until the fourth, then used four doubles overall to build its offense in key spots.
Northwestern Ohio starter Daniel Healy controlled the game from the mound after the fourth-inning tie. Healy threw a complete game, allowing one run on six hits while striking out nine over seven innings. Otero led the visitors offensively by going 2-for-4 with two RBIs, while Watson scored twice and Romero added a seventh-inning RBI double that helped seal the result.
The box score reflected how narrow the game remained before the final inning. Northwestern Ohio led 1-0 in the top of the fourth, Madonna answered immediately to tie it, and Jurczyk kept the Crusaders within striking distance into the seventh. But the two-run burst in the top half of the final inning left Madonna chasing the game the rest of the way in a 4-1 setback.
GAME 2:
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Madonna broke the game open in the first inning and never let Northwestern Ohio back in it, defeating the Racers 17-3 in a seven-inning game Friday in Livonia, Mich. The Crusaders scored six times in the opening frame, then kept adding on behind a 21-hit attack and a complete-game effort from Trey Acker.
The decisive stretch came immediately. Luke Spicer started the rally with a bunt single, and Ty Stepek followed with an RBI single. Kooper Etheridge added another RBI single later in the inning, two wild pitches brought home runs, and Gus Simon capped the surge with a two-run homer as Madonna moved in front 6-0. The Crusaders added two more runs in the second, with Aamir Mitchell doubling and later scoring during another productive inning that included a Stepek RBI single, pushing the lead to 8-0.
Northwestern Ohio produced its only scoring in the third when Cesar Grau hit a three-run homer to left-center, trimming Madonna's advantage to 9-3. Any thought of a comeback was short-lived. Madonna answered with four runs in the fifth, highlighted by Stepek's two-run homer and additional RBI from Donovan Thompson and Kevin Davis. The Crusaders then put up four more in the sixth, with Etheridge's two-run homer to left-center helping stretch the margin to the final 17-3.
Stepek led Madonna's offense with a 3-for-5 day, scoring three runs and driving in five. Etheridge went 4 for 5 with three runs and three RBI, while Spicer finished 3 for 4 with three runs scored, one RBI and a stolen base. Davis added three hits, including a double, and drove in two as the Crusaders piled up 21 hits in 38 at-bats.
Acker handled the rest on the mound. The Madonna starter worked all seven innings, allowing six hits and three earned runs without a walk while throwing 95 pitches. He struck out two and kept Northwestern Ohio off the board outside of the third inning. Zach Cabell took the loss for the Racers after recording one out and allowing five runs in the first.
Madonna scored in five of its six turns at the plate, finishing with six runs in the first, two in the second, one in the third, four in the fifth and four in the sixth. By the time Etheridge drove a two-run shot into left-center in the sixth, the Crusaders had turned an early burst into a runaway finish.
