ROCKFORD, ILL. - Finishing off a rare, midweek home-and-home series with rival Rock Valley College, the Madison College baseball team cruised to a 13-1 win in seven innings in a game that did not count towards the league standings. Originally scheduled as a doubleheader, the programs changed course and switched to a single, nine-inning game; however, the WolfPack had different plans as they improved to 34-12 all-time against the Golden Eagles.

Scoreless though one inning, Madison College busted out in the top of the second for three runs on three hits and an error. Sage Bruhl led off with a single, and with two outs on the board, Chase Scharnek reached on an error by the second baseman to put runners at the corners. Sophomore Bryce Plate followed with double to right that cleared the bases. Zach Bailey followed with an opposite field single that allowed Plate to score from second.

The lead shrunk to 3-1 in the third, but the WolfPack came back in the visitor half of the fourth. With one out and the bases loaded, Bailey earned a free pass to first to force in another run, and Rock Valley (16-24/4-6) committed an error on Chris Lund's grounder to the right side for a 5-1 edge. Carson Carmody kept the surge going with an RBI single through the left side. Following a strikeout for our number two, the bases were still loaded when Bruhl was walked and everyone went station to station again. The big inning was capped when a dropped third strike allowed Lund to come in from third to make it 8-1.

Carmody came through again in the fifth with a double to left, sending Bailey and Lund across home plate. In the seventh, Madison College pushed the lead into and past double-digits with three more runs. Once again the sacks were packed after single and two walks opened the frame, and yet another run was forced in when freshman Tyler Strzelczyk was hit by a pitch. Two batters later it was Bruhl picking up another easy RBI with a walk that forced everyone up 90 feet. Nick Blomgren drove a single to left to make it 13-1 as Lund touched home for the third time.

Lund, Bailey, and Plate all finished with two hits and three runs scored. Plate and Bailey also both drove in two runs. Carmody was a member of the two-hit club, as well, and drove in a team-high three runs.

On the mound, Second year hurler Sam Lund (5-1) held the Golden Eagles to one unearned run on five hits over six innings. The native of Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, also finished with seven strikeouts and three walks. Freshman Darren Strasburg, a Lake Mills, Wisconsin, native, threw a scoreless seventh, striking out two of the three batters faced.

 Up next:

Madison College (25-10/7-3) returns home for a Region IV showdown with #12 Kankakee Community College (32-8) on Saturday. The two powerhouse programs have split their prior 26 meetings. The Cavaliers have won two of the last three meetings after the WolfPack took victories in 11 of 12 games. The 'Pack did have the upper hand in their most recent matchup, winning 6-2 in their 2016 Region IV Tournament opener. First pitch at Robin Roberts Field is at 12:00 p.m., and will be followed by a 3:00 p.m. start for game two.

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