LIVONIA, Mich. – The No. 5 Davenport baseball team's quest of winning a second straight Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference championship may be put in jeopardy after Madonna claimed a doubleheader victory over the Panthers Friday afternoon.
 
The Panthers struck early but couldn't hold on to the lead as the Crusaders took game one 6-2. Davenport tried to rally from a two-run deficit but Madonna held on to win the nightcap 4-3.
 
With Northwestern Ohio winning its two games at Concordia, the Panthers need to sweep the Crusaders Thursday and will need help from the Cardinals against the Racers.
 
Davenport and Madonna meet once again in Livonia Friday at 2 p.m.
 
Game 1 – Madonna 6, Davenport 2
Davenport (44-8, 27-6 WHAC) quickly jumped to a 1-0 lead when Zac Wilson hit a one-out solo shot to right. It took a 2-0 lead in the second after Zack Sardellitti hit a leadoff single and courtesy runner Matt Hoge took second on a failed pickoff attempt, third on a sacrifice bunt and scored when Connor Seymour hit into a fielder's choice.
 
Brendan Bender held Madonna (36-13, 26-6 WHAC) scoreless until the sixth inning, when the Crusaders loaded the bases on singles and a hit-by-pitch forced in the first run followed by a two-run single up the middle to give them a 3-2 lead.
 
Bender finished the day on the mound scattering seven hits and a walk.
 
Madonna ran away with the win by scoring twice in the seventh and once in the eighth.
 
Game 2 – Madonna 4, Davenport 3
Although the Crusaders jumped ahead 1-0 in the third inning, the Panthers evened the score in the fourth using Jordan Zylstra's leadoff single and pinch-hitter Ryan Manning's sacrifice fly to right.
 
Madonna broke the tie in its half of the inning with a two-run single.
 
Davenport cut the deficit down to one in the fifth with base hits by Wilson and Matt Priebe but once again the Crusaders answered back with a run in their half of the inning to take a 4-2 lead.
 
Down to the final out, Bender helped the Panthers out with a two-out solo home run in the seventh but they couldn't produce anything else.
 
Corey Murphy suffered his third loss in his last four starts despite allowing three runs, two earned, on eight hits and no walks.
 
Baseball Contact: Rick Hoskin | 616-871-6180 | rhoskin@davenport.edu
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