WARREN, Mich. – Macomb Baseball earned a Sophomore Day split with the visiting St. Clair County Community College (SC4) Skippers Thursday (May 4) after winning game one, 2-1, in walk-off fashion and dropping game two by a 4-2 tally in extra innings. Reese Rinna (Richmond, Mich./Richmond) ended game one with a monster shot over the wall in right center to give the Monarchs their 10^th win of the campaign.

In game one, sophomore right-handed pitcher Ryan VanSlambrouck (Macomb, Mich./Dakota) got his final start on the hill in Warren and made the most of it with another impressive performance. VanSlambrouck was dialed in from the opening pitch and went on to toss six innings of one-run ball while striking out seven. The quality start is VanSlambrouck's fourth in as many starts and Thursday's outing marked the third time this season the sophomore struck out seven or more batters.

Rinna got the Monarchs on the board early with a first inning RBI double over the center fielder's head to give the Blue & White a 1-0 lead. The Rinna double plated Logan Rybarczyk (Chesterfield, Mich./Anchor Bay) who singled earlier in the frame.

After the early run, game one turned into a pitcher's duel with VanSlambrouck in control for the Monarchs. After SC4 tied it in the third at 1-1, the game remained that way until the bottom of the seventh when Rinna stepped to the plate and hit his team-high-tying fourth home run of the campaign for the walk-off winner.

Freshman right-handed pitcher Jake Verellen (Macomb, Mich./Eisenhower) came on in the seventh and worked a clean inning to earn the win – his second in as many appearances. Verellen struck out the first two batters he faced and later induced a fly out to center to retire SC4 in order.

In game two, the Monarchs jumped on top early once again, this time thanks to a Josh Medrano (Surprise, Az./Shadow Ridge) RBI single to right center that brought Jeremy Pudlik (Waterford, Mich./Waterford Mott) around to score. SC4 got the run back in the second to tie it, 1-1, before the Monarchs went back on top in the third inning on a Rinna RBI to the right side of the infield.

Up 2-1 and with sophomore right-handed pitcher Ryan Polega (Macomb, Mich./Henry Ford II) cruising on the mound, the Monarchs were on their way to another possible win before SC4 plated an unearned run in the sixth to tie the game for a second time.

Like VanSlambrouck, Polega made the most of his final start at Macomb as the sophomore only surrendered one earned run over seven innings while striking out seven batters. The seven strikeouts marked the fourth time Polega fanned six or more batters this season and was four shy of his career record 11 punch outs in a win over Cornerstone on March 28. 

After the game went to extras, SC4 used an extended inning to tally two runs and ultimately take the nightcap by the 4-2 final score.

Medrano, Tom Burt (Village of Clinton, Mich./Clinton) and Joey Tedesco (Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich./Grosse Pointe North/Hillsdale) led the Monarchs with a hit each in Thursday's latter contest.

Macomb Athletics thanks the 2023 Macomb Baseball sophomore class for the memories and for their contributions to the program over the years!