(Livonia, MI) – Concordia baseball traveled to rival Madonna on Saturday afternoon for a critical pair of WHAC conference games. The Cardinals came in 35-13 overall (15-3 WHAC) while the Crusaders entered 14-11 overall (10-6 WHAC). The game featured an explosion of offense with both teams combining for 46 runs, but Madonna came away with close wins in both games.
Game 1 – MU 10, CUAA 9
Grant Steinborn started game 1 on the mound. Concordia scored first with a run in the 1st inning. Dylan Steinke struck out swinging but reached first base on a wild pitch and stole second. Pinch runner Ryan Kotecki was eventually driven in on an RBI double by Grant Steinborn.
Madonna countered with a 3-run homer in the bottom of the 1st. The Crusaders added a run in the 2nd and 3rd to go ahead 5-1. Tyson Kleinfelter came on to pitch starting in the 3rd inning, racking up 5 strikeouts in 5.1 innings.
The Cardinals got 2 runs back in the top of the 5th inning. Jimmy Wressel used an RBI single to score Adam Purdy and Victor Diaz had an RBI double to drive in Wressel. Concordia then took the lead with a 4-run 6th inning. Jordan Sherman used a sacrifice bunt that allowed Vann Acker to reach home. Grant Steinborn then crushed a 3-run homer that also drove in Ryan Kotecki and Jordan Sherman.
The Cardinals continued to use the long ball in the 7th when Jordan Sherman hit a 2-run homer that also scored Vann Acker for a 9-5 lead. However, Madonna answered in the 8th inning with 5 runs to go back up on top. Concordia was unable to convert in the top of the 9th and narrowly fell 10-9.
Game 2 – MU 15, CUAA 12
Joe Tany started at pitcher in game 2. Neither team scored until the 3rd inning when the Cardinals opened up the game with a 4-run 3rd inning. Vann Acker drew a walk, reached third on an error, and eventually scored on a wild pitch. Dylan Steinke then hit an RBI single to score Jordan Sherman. Grant Steinborn used an RBI groundout to drive in Adam Purdy and Calvin Syrjala hit an RBI single to score Caleb Chamberlain.
Madonna fought back with 6 runs in the bottom of the 3rd. Brandon Decker came in to finish the inning at pitcher, securing the final strikeout. The Cardinals scored 2 runs in the 4th to tie the game 6-6. Jordan Sherman hit an RBI single to score RJ Bortle and Adam Purdy had an RBI single to drive in Sherman.
Madonna used a 7-run 4th inning to surge back into the lead. Ryan Kotecki came in to pitch to finish the inning, making 3 total strikeouts in 3.1 innings on the mound.
Concordia looked to chip away at the lead with 4 runs in the 5th. RJ Bortle hit a 2-RBI double to drive in Calvin Syrjala and Grant Steinborn. Preston Sherman scored on a wild pitch and Adam Purdy used an RBI double to score Vann Acker, cutting the deficit to 13-10. Madonna answered with a run in the bottom of the 5th.
The Cardinals continued to mount a comeback effort with a 2-run 6th inning when Preston Sherman used a 2-RBI double to score RJ Bortle and Grant Steinborn. Madonna added a run in the 7th to extend their lead to 15-12.
Jacob Henry came on to pitch in the 8th for Concordia. The Cardinals had a big opportunity to tie or take the lead when they loaded the bases in the top of the 9th inning. However, the Crusaders were able to secure the final 2 outs to claim the sweep.
Concordia will now await their opponent in the WHAC conference tournament.
