HOOVER, ALA. - Indiana Wesleyan baseball faced Madonna in a thrilling doubleheader on Friday at the Metropolitan Sports Complex in Hoover Alabama, splitting the contests with a narrow 5-4 loss in the first game and a hard-fought 3-2 victory in the second.
THE ESSENTIALS
- Location: Hoover, Ala. | Metropolitan Sports Complex
- Records: IWU - 3-2 | MU - 1-1
- Game One Score: MU def. IWU 5-4
- Game One Score: IWU def. MU 3-2
- NAIA Rankings: IWU - NR | MU - NR
GAME ONE RECAP
- In Game 1, Indiana Wesleyan struggled early, as both teams ended the first inning without scoring. The Wildcats had a promising chance when Andrew Sinish reached on an error and Grant Payson hit a triple, but Sinish was thrown out at home, keeping the game scoreless.
- The second inning saw Indiana Wesleyan load the bases with no outs after Trevor Vojtkofsky walked, and Ben Seitzinger and Nick Wiley followed with singles. However, the Crusader defense held firm, preventing any runs from scoring.
- Madonna broke the stalemate in the fifth inning. After two batters were hit by pitches, B. Reed and K. Etheridge delivered consecutive hits, resulting in four runs for the Crusaders, taking a 4-0 lead.
- Indiana Wesleyan responded in the eighth inning, narrowing the gap. Landon Ruoff was hit by a pitch and advanced on a wild pitch, allowing Vojtkofsky to drive him in with a single. Seitzinger added another single, and Wiley doubled to bring home two more runs, closing the deficit to 4-3.
- In the ninth, Mark Snowden's leadoff double and subsequent scoring on Payson's groundout tied the game. However, Madonna's J. Serafinch singled in the bottom of the eighth, driving in a run to regain the lead, 5-4. Ultimately, Madonna secured a narrow victory despite Indiana Wesleyan's late comeback effort.
- Cam Lafuze went the duration on the mound, his first career complete game. He gave up 5 runs on 6 hits, and posted 5 strikeouts.
KEY WILDCATS
GAME TWO RECAP
- In Game 2, Indiana Wesleyan opened the scoring in the second inning when Trevor Vojtkofsky homered, giving the team a 1-0 lead.
- Madonna responded in the fourth inning as L. Spicer hit a solo home run, tying the game 1-1. The Crusaders took the lead in the fifth inning with K. Etheridge's RBI single, bringing the score to 2-1 in favor of Madonna.
- However, in the seventh inning, Indiana Wesleyan regained the lead. Braxton Brosmer advanced on a wild pitch, and Carson Bush followed with a two-run homer, putting the Wildcats ahead 3-2. The defense held firm in the bottom of the seventh, securing a 3-2 victory for Indiana Wesleyan.
- Kevin Corcoran took the start on the mound, went 4 innings, allowing 2 runs on 7 hits and recorded 2 strikeouts. Tarick McGlothin earned his second in of the season with 3 innings of relief, allowing 0 runs and just 1 hit.
KEY WILDCATS
LOOKING AHEAD
- The Wildcats and Crusaders face off in another doubleheader tomorrow, starting at 1:00 PM EST.
- Links for stats will be available at IWUWildcats.com.
NEXT HOME GAME
- IWU opens their home schedule on February 20th, taking on IUK at 3:00 PM
- Links for video, and stats will be available at IWUWildcats.com.
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