BATTLE CREEK, Mich. – An early 3-1 Macomb lead was erased by No. 15* Kellogg Community College Monday (March 21) as the host Bruins posted 12 runs over a three-inning span to top the Monarchs, 19-8. With the setback, the Monarchs fall to 1-10 on the season. The Bruins, who were ranked 16^th by the end of the game after new rankings were released by the NJCAA, improved to 8-7 overall.
 
Monday's road tilt in Battle Creek acted as a final tune-up before MCCAA Eastern Conference play begins with a four-game set opposite Mott Community College this weekend. The Monarchs visit Mott for a doubleheader Friday (March 25) beginning at 2:00 p.m. before hosting the Bears for the program's 2022 home opener Saturday (March 26). First pitch is slated for 1:00 p.m. Saturday on Macomb's South Campus. Friday's road doubleheader will be played at Flint's Kearsley Park.
As for Monday's non-conference road game, the Monarchs were rolling early, posting three runs in the second inning to jump in front, 3-1. Benjamin Dillabough (Warren, Mich./Warren Mott) got the scoring started for the Monarchs with an RBI single to center that scored Josh Medrano (Surprise, Az./Shadow Ridge). The Monarchs tallied two more in the second, one on a wild pitch and another on a passed ball, to take a 3-1 lead entering the home half of the second inning.
 
The Bruins, a team that returned plenty of talent from last season's third place finish nationally, got hot from there and posted four runs in the second before scoring 12 runs over the fourth, fifth and sixth innings to earn the 19-8 victory. The Monarchs didn't go quietly as the Blue & White tallied four runs in the eighth inning, sparked by an RBI double by Medrano and a Ty Mychek (Ray Twp., Mich./Romeo) RBI single to right field.
 
LEADERS
Jack Lyndrup (Macomb, Mich./L'Anse Creuse North) connected on his first collegiate home run, an opposite field solo shot to lead off the third inning. Mycheck led a balanced attack with a 2-for-3 performance that included his third double of the season. On the mound, Joey Tedesco (Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich./Hillsdale College) got the nod, striking out three in two innings on one earned run. Ryan Polega (Macomb, Mich./Henry Ford II) worked the final two innings and struck out three while holding the high-octane Bruins offense to one run.