April 21, 2008

LIVONIA, Mich. - - The Crusader softball nine took both ends of a double header from visiting Michigan-Dearborn on Saturday. Madonna won game one 10-0 in five innings before fighting for a 6-5 win in 10 innings in game two. Head coach Al White picked up his 300th career win with the game one triumph. Between games, MU softball honored its 2008 senior class of Liz Ballinger and Christina Finch.

GAME ONE
MU plated three runs in the bottom of the first as Britney Scero (Canton, Mich.) led off with a single and was followed by Cat Sidor (Livonia, Mich.) drawing a walk to put runners at first and second. Tedi Johnston (New Boston, Mich.) cleared the bases with a triple to make it 2-0 MU. The Crusaders tacked on another run when Christina Finch (Albion, Mich.) singled in Johnston to make it 3-0.

The Madonna lead grew to 4-0 in the second as Kathleen Smiley (Wixom, Mich.) led off with a bunt single and moved to second on a Kelly Lesko (Trenton, Mich.) sacrifice bunt and then stole third. Scero then flew out to left, driving in Smiley to make it 4-0 in favor of the home team.

The Crusader bats broke out in a big way in the bottom of the fifth, scoring 10 runs to end the game. Scero led off with a single and then came home on Sidor's second home run of the season, this one to right field to make it 6-0. A fielding error allowed Johnston to reach and Finch drew a walk. After UMD recorded two outs, Tara LaMilza (St. Clair Shores, Mich.) was hit by a pitch to load the bases for Smiley. The junior center fielder took the first Stephanie Miller offering she saw over the fence in left for a walk-off grand slam and a 10-0 MU win.

Freshman Jess Irwin (Monroe, Mich.) was once again dealing in the circle, scattering three hits while only walking one and striking out seven for her 13^th win of the season. Scero and Smiley each had two hits while Johnston and Sidor had two RBIs each to go along with four from Smiley.

GAME TWO
The Wolves struck first in the nightcap, scoring two runs off of starter Liz Ballinger (St. Johns, Mich.) in the second to take a 2-0 lead. The game stayed 2-0 UMD until the bottom of the fourth when the Crusaders tied it at 2-2.

Johnston led off the fourth with a single and moved to second on a Danielle Richardson (Flint, Mich.) single. After the Wolves' Julie Glowiak got the next MU hitter to fly out, Mary Kate Setta (Grass Lake, Mich.) singled in Johnston and Richardson came home on the Wolves' throw that tried to get Setta at second but was unsuccessful.

UMD took the lead back in the top of the fifth, plating a run on three hits to make it 3-2 before MU regained the lead in the bottom half of the inning.

Johnston hit a two-out double to left and Finch followed with her second home run of the season, hitting the foul pole to make it 4-3 MU after five complete.

White went to his bullpen again, this time bringing Irwin back in to relieve Michelle Henning (Toledo, Ohio), to start the sixth. Irwin got the Wolves to go in order in the sixth but was not as successful in the seventh, issuing a walk, throwing a wild pitch and seeing another ball get away from Richardson to allow Taylor Janus to double in two runs and give the Wolves life and a lead at 5-4.

The Crusaders defended their home turf in the bottom of the seventh, using back-to-back triples from Scero and Sidor to open the inning and tie the game at 5-5. UMD walked the bases loaded with one out before Ashley Shay hit what looked to be a potential game winning fly ball to center, but the throw cut Sidor down at home to send the game to extra innings tied at five.

The Wolves had a golden opportunity to score in the eighth, putting the first two hitters on base before a fielder's choice erased the lead runner Miller at third. The two remaining runners moved up on a passed ball, but Irwin was up to the challenge, getting Brittney Szymanksi to ground out and striking out Heather May to end the inning.

After MU could not get a run across in the eighth, Irwin held her ground and send the UMD side down in order in the ninth to bring her team up to bat. MU got singles from Scero and Sidor to open the inning but stranded them at second and first respectively as Miller recorded a pair of fly outs and a ground out to end the inning and send the game to a 10th inning.

Irwin sent the Wolves down in order again in the 10th, setting the stage for the game winning bottom half of the 10th. Shay walked and moved to second on a wild pitch. Rachael Kethe (Lennox, Mich.) reached on a single to left that moved Shay to third. A fly ball off the bat of Lesko scored Shay from third to give the Crusaders a 6-5, 10-inning win and a sweep of the Wolves.