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Big inning leads Dons to victory

WEIRTON – Madonna came up big in both halves of the fourth frame to break open a tie game on its way to a 13-3 victory over Bishop Donahue in six innings at Bowman Field Tuesday.

With the game tied 3-3 in the top half of the fourth, the Bishops had Madonna pitcher Nick Mazur, who entered in the third for starter Michael Rogers, in a jam with second and third and no outs. After a pop out Mazur induced a ground ball to third baseman Ross Comis who threw home to get Austin Cunningham at the plate for the second out. A Bryce Jones fly out to center ended the threat.

The Blue Dons then did their damage with a little two-out lightning.

Kaleb Baire ripped a two-out double down the left field line to get things going. Vinnie Merico was then hit by a pitch and Will Bowser followed by beating out an infield single that allowed Baire to score. Comis was intentionally walked to load the bases and Rogers then drew a walk to score Merico. Bowser scored on a passed ball and the bases were loaded yet again when Mazur walked. Dom Silvestri provided the big damage in the frame when he blasted a double that cleared the bases to make the score 9-3 Madonna after four.

“We’re a team, so far this year, that shoots themselves in the foot, and when we shoot ourselves in the foot we collapse like a house of cards,” said Bishop Donahue head coach Bob Kleeh. “We can’t move on to the next play. We make an error, then we make another error and then we make a mental mistake, then we make another error. That’s that six-run inning you’re looking at right there. We’re going to shuffle the cards around and we’re going to find nine guys who want to be out on that baseball field if it takes us until the end of the year.

“Nothing to discredit Madonna. They’re one of the better baseball teams in the state of West Virginia, if not the best team, but I need to find nine guys who will give me 100 percent and are mentally ready to play seven innings each day out. That’s what we’re looking for.”

Madonna scored two runs each in the fifth and sixth frames to close out the 10-run rule victory.

“It was a big inning, especially with two outs to score six runs,” said Madonna head coach Tim Provenzano of the fourth inning. “That’s basically been the mentality of this team, to never quit. Whenever you score runs with two outs it’s huge. As you can see it blossomed from there. It was a big inning.”

Eight different Blue Dons crossed home plate in the victory. Silvestri led the offensive charge with three RBI while Comis and Bowser each drove in a pair of runs. Bowser had three singles with Baire and Silvestri collecting a double and single each. Mazur earned the win on the hill in three innings of work.

“That’s basically where we’re at right now,” said Provenzano of his team’s effort. “We’re preaching it in practice that everyone has a part on this team clear down to our freshmen.

“We have 17 kids on this team, and all 17 are going to get an opportunity at some point to step up, and as you can tell they stepped up today, especially with Luca (Fuscardo) out.”

Alex Reidel and Chaice Truex each had an RBI for the Bishops. Reidel had a double with Jones connecting on a pair of singles. Brett Moore scored a pair of runs.

Madonna 13, Bishop Donahue 3

Bishop Donahue 103 000 – 3 5 1

Madonna 103 622 – 13 11 0

BISHOP DONAHUE: Stocklask (LP, 4K, 3BB), Moore (4th, 1K, 3BB) and Riedel. Moore S, 2R; Jones 2S, R; Riedel D, RBI; Truex RBI; Cunningham S.

MADONNA (8-0): Rogers (2K, 2BB); Mazur (WP, 3rd, 2K, 2BB), Bowser (1K, 1BB) and Silvestri. Baire S, D, 3R; Merico 2S, 2R; G. Fuscardo S, RBI; Bowser 3S, 2RBI, 2R; Comis D, 2RBI, 2R; Rogers RBI, R; Mazur RBI, R; Gasvoda R; Silvestri S, D, 3RBI; Nero R; Payne RBI.

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