COLUMBUS, GA. – After weather delays pushed the start of the 2026 NAIA Softball World Series back a day, No. 1 seed Madonna softball finally took the field Saturday afternoon and delivered a dramatic comeback victory, defeating No. 8 seed Indiana Wesleyan 6–3 at the South Commons Softball Complex.
The win marked an exciting start to the national tournament for the Crusaders, who improved to 49–4 on the season after erupting for five runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to erase a late deficit.
Madonna struck first in the opening inning when
Rylee Fitzpatrick ripped an RBI double down the right-field line, scoring
Brynn Anteau to give the Crusaders an early 1–0 advantage.
Indiana Wesleyan answered in the second inning with an RBI single from Leah May to tie the game before both pitching staffs settled into a tense battle through the middle innings.
The Wildcats took control in the fifth inning, capitalizing on defensive miscues to plate two runs and take a 3–1 lead. With momentum shifting toward Indiana Wesleyan and the innings beginning to run short, Madonna needed a spark.
That spark came from
Ashley Rosiewicz.
Leading off the bottom of the sixth inning after
Regan Finkbeiner's RBI single cut the deficit to 3–2, Rosiewicz stepped to the plate and delivered one of the biggest hits of the season. The junior shortstop ripped a two-run double into left-center field, bringing home Finkbeiner and
Faith Peschke to give Madonna a 4–3 lead and ignite the Crusaders' dugout and home crowd section in Columbus.
The hit completely changed the energy of the game and fueled the remainder of Madonna's offensive explosion.
Brynn Anteau followed with a double of her own before
Faith Cramton worked a walk. Moments later, a wild pitch allowed Rosiewicz to score, and Fitzpatrick reached on an error that brought home another run to cap the five-run inning and extend the lead to 6–3.
Rosiewicz finished with two RBIs, but her sixth-inning double proved to be the defining moment of the game. Fitzpatrick also played a major role offensively, going 2-for-4 with two doubles and two RBIs, while Anteau added two hits and scored twice.
Jessica Dunkel chipped in two hits as part of Madonna's eight-hit performance.
In the circle,
Camille Oyer got the start and allowed just one run through three innings before
Anna Battagin took over in relief. Battagin delivered another clutch postseason performance, tossing four innings while allowing only two runs—just one earned—and helping Madonna keep the Wildcats within reach before the offense erupted late. She earned the victory to improve to 7–1 on the season.
Defensively, the Crusaders overcame a pair of errors and made several key plays late to shut down Indiana Wesleyan's offense in the final innings.
With the victory, Madonna advances further into the NAIA World Series bracket and continues its pursuit of a national championship. After waiting an extra day to finally open tournament play, the Crusaders made sure their first appearance in Columbus was one to remember.
The Crusaders will be back in action tomorrow, Sunday, May 24 at 5:00 PM EST when they will take on #4 University of Mobile at South Commons Softball Complex.
