DETROIT – Macomb Baseball bounced back in a big way on Saturday (April 12), taking two from the Henry Ford College Hawks at The Corner Ballpark in Detroit to remain firmly in the MCCAA Eastern Conference race. The Monarchs battled back from several three-run deficits on the day to win in game one, 7-4, and emerge victorious in game two, 9-7.

The pair of wins lifts the Monarchs to 17-13 overall and 7-6 in the MCCAA East. The Hawks fell to 21-5 overall and 10-3 in league play, losing twice on the same day for the first time this season.

GAME ONE: Macomb 7, Henry Ford 4
Luke Babcock turned a 3-0 deficit into a tie game in the third with one swing of the bat as the redshirt freshman C/1B hit a three-run home run over the right field wall. The Monarchs never trailed from there as Adrian Epps hit an inside-the-park home run the following inning and later broke open a 4-4 game in the fifth inning with a 2-RBI single to center.

The 2-RBI single would stand as the game-winning hit as an Aidan Miller RBI single in the sixth inning gave the Monarchs added insurance while Evan Robinson came on to close the door with a nine-out save for the 7-4 win.

Robinson held the Hawks to one hit and added two strikeouts across three innings of work to notch his first save at the collegiate level. Nathan Fidelino got the start and the win after settling in to strike out five batters in four innings pitched.

Epps and Buster Debol led the Monarchs with two hits each. Babcock and Epps each had three RBIs in the opener.

GAME TWO: Macomb 9, Henry Ford 7
Much like Robinson in game one, Brendan Przybycki came on in relief to stymie the Hawks in the nightcap as the freshman right-handed pitcher scattered three hits across four and two-thirds innings of work to earn his first collegiate win. Przybycki pounded the zone and kept the Hawks off the board, allowing the Monarchs to earn their second comeback win of the afternoon.

Trailing 3-0 after one, the Monarchs answered with four runs a half inning later to take a 4-3 lead on RBI singles by Adrian Epps and Dane Richards and a 2-RBI single by Dominic Cavacini. The Hawks would match the Monarchs output in the home half of the frame to take a 7-4 lead, but the Monarchs turned to Przybycki from there as the freshman shut down the opposition the rest of the way.

The Monarchs responded and tied the game with three runs in the top of the third thanks to a RBI single by Nicholas Sandiha Jr., a sacrifice fly by Epps and a RBI in a key spot by Dane Richards.

Cavacini put the Monarchs in front for good by driving home Riley Ames in the fourth while Richards made it 9-7 in the fifth on a RBI single that plated Jacob Frederick.

Cavacini recorded a team-best three RBIs in game two while Epps and Richards drove in a pair each. The combination of Cavacini, Richards and Adrian Miller had two hits each as part of an 11-hit nightcap for the Monarchs.

UP NEXT: Twin Bill at Cornerstone JV
The Monarchs take a break from MCCAA East play with a non-conference twin bill in Grand Rapids on Monday (April 14) against Cornerstone JV. First pitch is slated for 1 p.m. at Cornerstone's famed DeWitt Field.