SOUTH HOLLAND, ILL. - Rain showers forced the Madison College baseball team to shuffle their weekend schedule, and in the end, they earned a doubleheader sweep of NJCAA Region 4 foe South Suburban College on Sunday and will resume conference play on Monday after a rainout on Saturday. Originally schedule to play Moraine Valley Community College on Sunday, the twin bill was shifted to South Suburban College due to field conditions, and the WolfPack responded with wins of 7-2 and 5-3. The two victories narrow the gap in the all-time series to 21-19 in favor of the Bulldogs (NOTE: A makeup date for the games at MVCC has yet to be announced.)

Game #1: Madison College 7, South Suburban College 2 (7 innings)

Madison College used a pair of big innings late in the game to secure the five-run win in the day's opener. The visitors took advantage of two hits and an error to tally the game's first score in the opening half inning, however, the host Bulldogs evened the score in the bottom half with a solo home run. South Suburban then went ahead 2-1 in the third with a triple and a single against starter Alex Redman, who would settle in to limit the home team to two hits the rest of his time on the mound. 

The WolfPack made it 2-2 in the fifth on a sacrifice fly from Nathan Ebersole to score Ryan Hubley, who started the frame by reaching on an error. A three-run sixth made it 5-2 with Gunnar Doyle, Hubley, and Eli Kramer all picking up RBIs. Madison College added a pair of insurance runs on wild pitches in the top of the seventh.

Redman (3-0) improved his perfect record as the New Berlin, Wisconsin, native worked 5 2/3 innings of two-run, five-hit baseball with six strikeout and two walks. Reliever Jett Thielke entered to pitch the final inning-and-a-third and kept the Bulldogs off the scoreboard on two hits and a walk.

Catcher Eduardo Saucedo had two of the WolfPack's eight hits and scored two of their seven runs to lead the offensive production. Hubley and Ebersole both had a hit, a run scored, and one batted in.

Game #2: Madison College 5, South Suburban College 3 (7 innings)

Madison College held off a late South Suburban College (22-11) rally after building to a 5-0 lead. A walk and three hits produced two runs in the second inning, with Ryan Hubley and Maguire Fitzgerald recording back-to-back run-scoring singles. Gunnar Doyle drove in Kameron Laskowski with a hard ground ball through the right side in the third to make it 3-0, and the freshman from Oak Creek, Wisconsin, came through again in the fifth with a double to right that plated Eli Kramer. Another ground ball to right by Brady Jurgella in the seventh allowed Jake Nelson to score from second in the seventh to complete the WolfPack scoring.

Starter Luke Hansel took a shutout into the seventh before the Bulldogs were finally able to get to him with a double and a single that gave SSC their first run. Two more hits made it 5-2 and coach Mike Davenport turned to his bullpen with Justin Grosse, who recorded a pop out before an error allowed yet another run to score. With the tying run at first, Davenport called on Reagan Klawiter to close out the win, which the lefthander from Verona, Wisconsin, did by inducing a fielder's choice ground out and earning his first career save.

Hansel (3-1) surrendered three earned runs on seven hits and three walks over his 6 1/3 innings. The former Union Grove HS athlete also struck out three before giving way to Grosse and Klawiter for a third-of-an-inning each.

Madison College had 11 hits to mark the seventh game this season with double-digit hits. Hubley, a product of Marquette University HS, was tops with a 3 for 3 effort that produced one run batted in. Fitzgerald and Doyle each had two hit performances, with Doyle leading the team with two RBI. Nelson's two runs scored also paced the 'Pack.

Up Next:

Madison College (15-6, 2-0) will makeup Saturday's North Central Community College Conference rainout with the College of DuPage (9-13, 2-0) on Monday, April 12. The all-time series stands at 25-4-1 in favor of the WolfPack, who have won four straight against the Chaparrals. First pitch at Robin Roberts Field is at 2:00 p.m., followed by an expected 5:00 p.m. start for the nightcap.

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