LIVONIA,
Mich. - - In a
series that was delayed two days by poor weather in Livonia, the
Madonna baseball team took both sides of a double header from
visiting Indiana Tech on Monday at Ilitch Ballpark by finals of 2-0
and 9-6. With the wins MU improved to 22-10 overall and took over
first place in the WHAC at 9-3. Tech fell to 21-17, 9-5 in WHAC
action.
GAME
ONE
After getting out of a runners at first and second jam in the top of the first,
the Madonna bats gave starter Will Kennedy (Westland, Mich.)
enough run support in the bottom of the inning as Zach McMillin (Grand
Ledge, Mich.) led off with a single and then promptly stole second.
McMillin came around to score on a Kevin Zerbo (Farmington, Mich.)
single to right for a 1-0 MU lead.
Kennedy got himself into
trouble in the second, allowing a lead off double to Eli Chee and a Crusader
error put runners at first and third with just one out. But then what would be
come a theme for the day, the Madonna defense turned a 6-4-3 double play to get
out of the inning with out surrendering a run.
Kennedy allowed a pair of
hits to put two runners on in the fourth but struck out Jason Ferens and Shawn
Placie to end the inning and keep MU on top at 1-0.
The Crusaders added an
insurance run in the fourth as Pat Kenny (Roseville, Mich.)
reached on an error and moved to third on a John McCracken (Pinckney,
Mich.) single to right. Kenny came in on Ryan Morrow's (Taylor,
Mich.) sac fly for a 2-0 Madonna lead after four complete.
The top of the sixth was
anything but easy for MU as a two-base fielding error and a hit batter put
runners at first and second with none out. Kennedy fielded a sac bunt off the
bat of Steve Dowding and cut the lead runner Will Richards down at third for the
first out of the inning. The senior righty then got Chee to ground into another
double play, this one going 4-6-3 to end the threat.
Kennedy got into a jam
again in the seventh, but was up to the challenge as he struck out Ferens to
open the inning and after allowing Brad Gettlefinger to reach on a catcher's
interference and a single by R.J. Meeks to put runners on first and second with
one out. Steve Weigle then hit into a fielder's choice that erased Jeremy
Parker, who ran for Gettlefinger, at third for the second out. Kennedy then put
the icing on his cake with a strike out of Shane Tirey to end the game and give
MU the 2-0 win.
His four-hit, six strike
out performance earned Kennedy his fifth win of the season against just one
defeat. Dan Collar took the loss for Tech, falling to 3-1. Five different
Crusaders recorded hits in the opener with Zerbo and Morrow driving in the MU
scores.
GAME
TWO
Indiana Tech hung three runs on the
board in the top of the first off of MU starter Sean Maher (Oxford,
Mich.) but the Madonna bats responded with five runs of their own in the
bottom half of the inning to take the lead.
Levi Cheshire
(Troy, Mich.) hit a one-out single to open the MU attack and was followed by
Shawn Little (Canton, Mich.) reaching on a fielder's choice but an
error on the Tech shortstop allowed Cheshire to be safe at second to put runners
at first and second. Zerbo then stepped up and roped a single to left to score
Cheshire and make it 3-1.
Little and Zerbo moved up
on stolen bases and Little came home on a Kenny single to cut the lead to just
one at 3-2. Scott Boyer (Flat Rock, Mich.) drew a walk to load the
bases for McCracken. McCracken drew a walk to force in a run and make it 3-3.
That brought McMillin to the plate and the senior center fielder delivered a sac
fly to right to score Kenny and make it 4-3 Madonna. MU tacked on its fifth run
when Tarik Khasawneh (Canton, Mich.) singled in Boyer to make it
5-3.
Tech responded with three
more runs in the second to take the lead abck at 6-5. After the Warriors made it
6-4, head coach Greg Haeger went to his bullpen and brought in Jeff
Sonnenberg (Lansing, Mich.) for Maher. Sonnenberg struck out
Dan Cody but allowed a two-run single to Dowding to make it 6-5 IIT before
getting Chee to pop out to end the inning, but the damage had been done as Tech
now once again led 6-5.
MU tied the score at 6-all
as Cheshire reached via an error to lead off the second and moved up on a Little
ground out before coming home a Zerbo double to make it 6-6.
The Crusaders took the
lead back for good in the fourth as Cheshire drew a two-out walk and Little
reached on a double to right. Zerbo cleared the bases with a double to left
center and make it 8-6. Kenny then doubled to score Dave Cardenas
(Canton, Mich.) who was running for Zerbo for the final MU run and a 9-6
lead.
Sonnenberg then put it on
cruise control, surrendering only two more hits and getting a double play to end
the game and pick up his second win of the season. Zerbo was 3-for-3 with four
RBIs to lead the MU bats while Kenny added a pair of hits and RBIs as well.
The two teams wrap up the
season series with a 1:30pm double header on Tuesday at Ilitch Ballpark.
