DAYTON, Tenn. – Macomb Baseball got off to strong start, winning game one by a 16-14 final before falling narrowly in the nightcap, 11-10, at Bryan College JV Monday (March 6) to open the 2023 season. The 26 runs marked the most runs scored in a doubleheader by the Monarchs since May 6, 2016 when the Blue & White swept Ancilla College by scores of 14-1 and 16-0. One of the key pieces to that 2016 team? Current Recruiting Coordinator and Assistant Coach, Nick Caruso.

The 16-14 victory in the opener also marked the first win as a college head coach for first-year head coach Taylor Grzelakowski.

GAME ONE: Macomb 16, Bryan 14
The Monarchs plated 10 runs over the final two innings and extended their lead by as many as nine in a wild opener that saw the teams combine for 30 runs on 23 hits. The host Lions tallied seven runs in the seventh to make things interesting, but Brendan Bos (Howell, Mich./Howell) came on to close the door and earned his first save at the collegiate level in the two-run victory.

Chris Pieprzak (China Twp., Mich./St. Clair) fanned three batters in an inning and a third to pick up the win in his first college appearance.

The Monarchs' 16-run outburst was capped off with back-to-back seventh inning home runs by Ben Dillabough (Warren, Mich./Warren Mott) and Tom Burt (Village of Clinton, Mich./Clinton). Dillabough's home run, a two-run blast over the left field wall, was his first at the collegiate level and the first of the season for the Monarchs. Burt followed with a solo shot to left for the 16^th and final run of the opener.

Dillabough led the Monarchs with four RBIs, Burt and Jack Lyndrup (Macomb, Mich./L'Anse Creuse North) drove in three runs each and Logan Rybarczyk (Chesterfield, Mich./Anchor Bay) drove in a pair.

Burt, Lyndrup, Alex Mendes (Wilmette, Ill./New Trier) and Josh Medrano (Surprise, Az./Shadow Ridge) had two hits each, while Mendes came across to score a team-high four runs in his first game in a Monarch uniform.

GAME TWO: Bryan 11, Macomb 10
A combination of walks given up in the latter innings and timely hits by the Lions resulted in an 11-10 walk-off loss for the Monarchs in the nightcap. Ben Dillabough continued his career day at the plate with another home run in game two, this time a no-doubter over the center field wall. Dillabough was followed two batters later by Joey Tedesco (Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich./Grosse Pointe North/Hillsdale) who lifted a ball over the opposite field wall for his first home run of the 2023 campaign. Tedesco's home run was of the two-run variety, plating Jack Lyndrup who singled to center in between the Monarch home runs.

The trio of Dillabough, Lyndrup and Tedesco had two RBIs each. Terry Dean (Davison, Mich./Davison), Alex Mendes and Dillabough all recorded two-hit games in the nightcap.

Gavin Nareski (Fenton, Mich./Holly/Kankakee CC) got the start and struck out four in three innings of work.

UP NEXT
Competition heats up Wednesday (March 8) when the Monarchs visit NJCAA Division I Roane State Community College for a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. The doubleheader at Roane marks the beginning of a six-game stretch against NJCAA Division I competition this week. Follow Wednesday's doubleheader on the GameChanger app!