PHOENIX, ARIZ. - After a cancelation due to lightning on Day 1 of the Arizona Spring Trip, the Madison College baseball team shifted the schedule for Friday to play another contest against Western Nebraska Community College ahead of their schedule game at South Mountain Community College. The WolfPack, ranked #13 in the NJCAA Division II Poll, opened the day with a 14-3 victory in six innings over the Cougars of WNCC, and followed it up with a narrow 6-5 setback to the #5-ranked Cougars of SMCC.

Game #1: #13 Madison College 14, Western Nebraska Community College 3 (6 innings)

Just a day removed from an 8-1 loss to Western Nebraska to begin their time in the desert, Madison College exacted some revenge with the run-ruled victory. The WolfPack jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first after Jalen Gellings and Beau Bloxdorf reached on ground ball singles to start the frame. Both move up 90 feet thanks to a wild pitch, and then James Duncan lofted a sacrifice fly to right that scored Gellings for a 1-0 advantage. A ground out to second by Ryan Santi made it 2-0, and then a WNCC error allowed Marcelino Edison Alonso to come in to score for the three-run advantage.

The Cougars fought back with three runs of their own in the top of the third against starter Sam Steuber, who gave up four hits in the inning. Steuber's teammate, however, had his back and broke the game open with a nine-run bottom half of the inning to make it 12-3. Alonso got the rally going with a two-run home run to left for his first of the season. Two batters later, freshman Sam Moses triples to center and then scores on a Howie Rickett run-scoring line drive to left. Ricket eventually would score on a wild pitch to make it 7-3, and then a bases loaded hit by pitch of Bloxdorf forced in Jack Bauer. Duncan then singled home JJ Wolbert and Gellings before Alonso capped the team's - and his - big inning with a two-run double to center that plated Bloxdorf and Duncan to put the Pack up nine.

The game ended early in the bottom of the sixth when Santi, a second year player from Oak Creek, Wisconsin, followed an Alonso single with a walk-off two-run blast to right for the run-ruled decision.

Madison College produced a dozen hits, led by Alonso's 3 for 3 effort at the plate that resulted in season-high's of four runs batted in and three runs scored for the native of Reedsburg, Wisconsin. Bloxdorf, a Franksville, Wisconsin, product, was 2 for 3 with a career-high three runs scored and one driven in. 

Duncan and Santi each finished with three RBI and one run scored on one hit. Gellings scored two runs with a hit, while four others had a hit and one run, with Rickett adding a run driven in.

On the mound, Steuber (1-1) secured his first win of the season and third of his career as he allowed three earned runs on five his over four-plus innings. The native of Muskego, Wisconsin, struck out four batter before giving way to freshman Mason Sherman for the final inning-and-two-thirds. Sherman walked two and struck out two without allowing a run.

Madison College is now 4-1 all-time against Western Nebraska Community College (9-12).

Game #2: #5 South Mountain Community College 6, #13 Madison College 5

In a matchup of two teams ranked in the top 15 in the nation, the WolfPack were unable to find enough offense in a hard-fought one-run loss to South Mountain Community College. The home team took a 2-0 lead in the first thanks to three singles and a wild pitch against freshman starter Noah Marshke. The differential grew to three runs in the third when a pair of singles added up to another SMCC run.

Madison College put together a four-run fourth inning to take their first lead of the game at 4-3. With two runners on and two outs, Trace Kirchberg singled up the middle to drive in James Duncan, and then Alonso scored on a wild pitch. First year infielder JJ Wolbert drove a line drive to left, scoring Kirchberg and Nate Novinska for the one-run advantage. 

The host Cougars rallied in the sixth after Marschke walked the leadoff batter and was replaced by sophomore Nick West. After West loaded the bases, SMCC tied the game with a run-scoring single and then went back on top 5-4 with a wild pitch. A sacrifice fly two batters later made it a 6-4 game. 

Facing their final at-bats in the top of the ninth, the WolfPack used a Chris Calico single and a passed ball to set the stage for Charlie Schau to deliver a run-producing single to right to get within a run. Schau then stole second and advance to third on a wild pitch to put the tying run just 90 feet from home, but Duncan went down swinging for the game's final out.

Alonso and Schau each had two hits, with Alonso scoring one run and Schau driving in one. Wolbert led the team with two RBI and was one of five players with one base hit. Kirchberg's lone hit resulted in a run batted in and a run scored.

Marschke pitched five innings and allowed four runs on nine hits and a walk, but did not factor in the decision. The loss fell to West (0-1) after his two innings on the hill. He allowed two runs, including one earned run, on three hits and did strike out two batters in his two innings. Freshman Axel Donaldson worked a perfect bottom of the eighth inning.

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