Game 1:
LIVONIA, Mich. – Madonna baseball opened its doubleheader against Rochester Christian in dominant fashion, cruising to a 16–4 victory Friday afternoon.
The Crusaders set the tone early, jumping out to a 2–0 lead in the first inning behind a solo home run from
Aamir Mitchell and an RBI double from
Donovan Thompson.
Madonna continued to build momentum in the second inning, plating three more runs.
Carson Noon drove in a run with a single before Mitchell followed with a two-RBI single to extend the lead to 5–0.
After Rochester Christian got on the board in the fourth, the Crusaders responded with a big inning of their own. Madonna erupted for five runs in the bottom half, capitalizing on timely hitting and defensive miscues to stretch the lead to 10–1.
The offense stayed hot late, breaking the game open in the sixth inning with a six-run outburst.
Kooper Etheridge and Mitchell highlighted the inning with RBI hits, while the Crusaders continued to apply pressure across the lineup.
Mitchell led the way offensively with three hits, including a home run, and five RBIs.
Carson Noon added two hits and two RBIs, while
Brett Reed scored three runs and drove in two.
Donovan Thompson also contributed two hits and two RBIs in the win.
On the mound, Jason Jurczyk earned the victory, improving to 6–0 on the season after allowing four runs (three earned) over 5.1 innings while striking out six.
Jacob Kowalski and
Jackson Manoulian combined in relief to close out the game.
Madonna finished with 11 hits and drew seven walks, using a balanced offensive attack to overwhelm Rochester Christian.
With the win, the Crusaders improved to 23–10 on the season and set the tone for the remainder of the doubleheader.
Game 2:
