LIVONIA, Mich. - - The Madonna softball split its Friday WHAC double header with visiting Indian Tech. MU took game one 9-1 in five innings before dropping the night cap 1-0. With the split, MU and IIT remain tied in the WHAC standings at 6-2. Madonna is now 18-9-1 overall while Tech is 13-13 

GAME ONE
After allowing Tech to get on the board in the top of the first, the Madonna bats responded with three runs of their own in the bottom of the inning to take the lead for good.

Brittney Scero (Canton, Mich.) started the inning with a single ad moved to second on an error by the Tech outfield. Scero scored on a Tedi Johnston (New Boston, Mich.) single to right center to make it 1-1. Christina Finch (Albion, Mich.) then made it 3-1 MU with her first homer of the season, a mammoth shot to left center that passed just to the right of the University Field scoreboard to give the home team the lead.

The Crusaders tacked on three more in the second as Cat Sidor (Livonia, Mich.) doubled home Kathleen Smiley (Wixom, Mich.) to make it 4-1. Sidor then came into score on a fielding error on the IIT infield off the bat of Johnston to make it 5-1. Run six came in when Johnston, who had stolen second and moved to third on a Finch single, raced home on a Danielle Richardson (Flint, Mich.) single to make it 6-1.

Smiley hit a one-out triple in the third and came in on a Scero single to push the lead to 7-1 after three and MU added two more runs in the fourth to make it 9-1 as Richardson and Ashley Shay (Garden City, Mich.) hit back-to-back two-out singles before both runner came home on a Tara LaMilza (St. Clair Shores, Mich.) double for the final MU tallies.

Madonna starter Jess Irwin (Monroe, Mich.) allowed just two hits, her second straight two-hitter, and struck out six in picking up her eighth win of the season against two defeats. Finch and LaMilza drove in two runs each while Scero, Johnston, Richardson and Smiley each had two hits. Jessica Williams suffered the loss for Tech, falling to 7-3.

GAME TWO
The night cap proved to be a low scoring one as the Warriors plated a run in the top of the second and that held up as the only scoring of the game for either side. Ashley Pointer hit a two-out single up the middle and Brittney Bingham them doubled Pointer home for the only Tech score.

IIT would threaten again in the fourth, loading the bases with one out, but MU starter Liz Ballinger (St. Johns, Mich.) used timely defense, namely the MU infield catching Bingham rounding the bag at second too far after Jessica Schaffer was gunned down at home on a force play.

Madonna had a rally going in the bottom of the seventh as Shay led off with a single and move up on a Mary Kate Setta (Grass Lake, Mich.) sac bunt. Kelly Lesko (Trenton, Mich.) drew a two-out walk to put runners at second and third but Scero popped out after battling through a six pitch at-bat to end the game and leave MU in the same position it was to start the day, tied with Indiana Tech for WHAC supremacy.

Ballinger  took the loss for MU, giving up just one run while scattering nine hits. Finch, Lesko, Sidor and Shay collected hits for Madonna.

MU has little time to lick its wounds as Concordia comes calling to University Field for a 1pm twin bill on Saturday. The royal and gold then travel to Tech for a 1pm Sunday double header.