WARREN, Mich. – Alex Mendes (Wilmette, Ill./New Trier) led the charge offensively with four runs driven in and made key plays defensively to help propel Macomb Baseball to an 11-6 win over Henry Ford College on Friday (March 29) in Warren. The redshirt freshman infielder went 3-for-6 with a double, triple and four RBIs while making critical run-saving plays at second base and former high school teammate Oliver Barkal (Winnetka, Ill./New Trier/Niagara Univ.) got the start and win to push the Monarchs to 4-0 in the MCCAA East and 8-8 overall.

The visiting Hawks dropped to 2-2 in league play and 8-8 overall after the five-run setback to the Monarchs.

The Monarchs jumped in front early with a two-run first inning thanks to RBIs off the bats of Brady Krzciok (Clarkston, Mich./Clarkston/Madonna) and Luke Babcock (Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich./Grosse Pointe North/Madonna). The Hawks tied it two innings later, but the Monarchs responded in the home half of the third as Babcock hit a sac fly to make it 3-2, while Krzciok drove in his second run of the game in the fourth inning to give the Blue & White a 4-2 advantage.

A Mendes two-RBI triple extended the lead to 6-2 in the fifth before Dylan Pawenski (Shelby Twp., Mich./Utica/Madonna) put the Monarchs' seventh run on the board with an RBI double down the left field line in the seventh inning.

The Hawks battled back to make it a one-run game, 7-6, but the Monarchs answered once again, this time with a four-run eighth inning that was highlighted by a Mendes two-RBI single.

Barkal went five innings in the start to move to 2-0 on the season, while Jack Saputo (Windsor, Ontario/St. Anne's Catholic) came on for a four-out save to close the door on the Hawks. The save was Saputo's second of the season.

The Monarchs return to action Saturday (March 30) with a single 9-inning conference game at Sanborn Park in Port Huron against St. Clair County Community College. First pitch is set for 1 p.m.