FORT WAYNE, Ind. – Macomb Baseball went on the road Tuesday (April 9) for a non-conference twin bill with the Indiana Tech JV Warriors and came back to Michigan with a pair of wins and a bit of history made thanks to a 15-10 victory in the opener and combined no-hitter in a wild 11-4 decision in the nightcap. The wins lift the Monarchs to .500 on the season at 11-11 ahead of this weekend's four-game conference series with Schoolcraft College.
The no-hitter is the 13
th in program history (fourth combined no-hitter).
GAME ONE: Macomb 15, Indiana Tech 10
The Monarchs battled through early adversity and went on to outscore the Warriors 12-3 over the final four innings to earn the 15-10 victory.
Jack Demetral (Macomb, Mich./Dakota) came on in the fourth and settled the Monarchs down on the mound with two solid innings of work and
Jack Saputo (Windsor, Ontario/St. Anne's Catholic) pitched the final two innings to earn his first win at the collegiate level after the Monarch bats provided six runs of added support in the top of the seventh.
Demetral was in line for the win before the Warriors tallied a run in the bottom of the sixth to tie the game, 9-9.
Offensively, the Monarchs were led by freshman outfielder
Dane Richards (Macomb, Mich./Sterling Heights Stevenson) who recorded his best game in a Monarch uniform with a 4-for-5 performance that included a double and five RBIs. Richards came around to score twice, stole a base and prevented a Warriors' run on an outfield assist that beat the runner to the plate.
Alex Mendes (Wilmette, Ill./New Trier) went 3-for-6 with a double, RBI and three runs scored and
Ryan McKay (Macomb, Mich./Chippewa Valley) doubled twice and drove in a pair of runs as part of a 2-for-3 opener.
Dylan Pawenski (Shelby Twp., Mich./Utica/Madonna) scored three runs and rounded out the Monarchs in game one with two or more hits (2-for-4), while
Riley Ames (Sylvania, Ohio/Northview) doubled and
Brady Krzciok (Clarkston, Mich./Clarkston/Madonna) drove two runners home.
GAME TWO: Macomb 11, Indiana Tech 4
Win game one and make history in game two! The pitching crew of
Frank Asta (Macomb, Mich./Eisenhower),
Owen Lamky (Chesterfield, Mich./L'Anse Creuse North),
Ethan Miller (Chesterfield, Mich./Anchor Bay) and
Brandon Rice (Macomb, Mich./Eisenhower/Madonna) combined for the 13
th no-hitter in program history as they held the Warriors without a hit in an 11-4 win. The four Warrior runs came via batters being hit by the pitch, errors and passed balls.
Asta got the start and settled in to toss three innings of no-hit ball while striking out three. Lamky came on for an inning of work and struck out two before handing the ball to Miller who was lights out with a perfect two innings and four strikeouts. Rice came on in the seventh and struck out the side to complete the historic combined no-hitter. Miller earned the win to move to 2-0 on the season.
Ryan McKay drove in a team-best four runs (2B, 4 RBI) to lift his daily RBI total to six in Fort Wayne, while
Luke Babcock (Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich./Grosse Pointe North/Madonna) led the Monarchs in hits with three (3-4, RBI).
Reese Rinna (Richmond, Mich./Richmond) got the scoring started with a two-run first inning home run, his third of the season, while
Derek Ruiz (Port Huron, Mich./Port Huron Northern/Madonna) went 2-for-2 with a triple and two runs scored and
Riley Ames checked in at 2-for-3 with a double, RBI and a run scored.
UP NEXT: Schoolcraft Series
The Monarchs are slated to begin their four-game series with Schoolcraft on Thursday at Macomb. The home doubleheader is set for 2 p.m. first pitch with Tom Cavanaugh on the call on MacombMonarchs.com/Watch. Rain is expected on Thursday and could shift the doubleheader to a later date in the weekend. Stay tuned!
Follow us on one (or all) of our social media channels for the latest game updates.
