LIVONIA — Although Madonna University’s softball program has a strong reputation from year to year, it wasn’t until this season that the Crusaders broke through to win a national championship. The Livonia-based Catholic university turned back Southeastern (Fla.) in the NAIA Softball World Series title game, 8-4, played May 28 in Columbus, Georgia.
“We’ve had a group that has had a lot of playing time since they were freshmen,” head coach Ron Pezzoni said. “The majority of our team are juniors; they’ve been to a World Series before and got a little taste of it. This year they worked their butts off and wanted to make some noise.”
In order to capture the red championship banner, Madonna registered a pair of comeback victories over Southeastern to close out the double-elimination tournament.
“Our final record was 52-4 so we weren’t behind a ton this season, but every time we got behind they responded quickly,” Pezzoni said. “They didn’t panic, they seemed to lock in pretty good.”
The Crusaders’ mettle was tested in last Thursday’s final, when Southeastern produced the game’s first two runs on a walk, a sacrifice bunt and three singles in the third inning.
But Madonna answered with four runs in the bottom of the third. Ashley Rosiewicz, Faith Cramton, Rylee Fitzpatrick, Jessica Dunkel and Faith Peschke all singled, and a Southeastern fielding error led to the third and fourth runs.
Southeastern threatened again, tying the game at 4-4 in the top of the fourth.
“They had bases loaded, no outs. If we would have gotten out of that with nothing, it would have been the nail in the coffin for the other team,” Pezzoni said. “They got a couple anyway and tied the game, but we responded again.”
Madonna quickly loaded the bases with a single by Rosiewicz, a fielder’s choice from Brynn Anteau, followed by a throwing error and a wild pitch, and a walk to Cramton. Fitzpatrick drove in Rosiewicz on a fielder’s choice, before Carson Kuhlman plated two more runs with a single up the middle, putting the Crusaders up 7-4 — a lead they would not relinquish.
In a relief role, Anna Battigan earned the win by allowing no runs and three hits over the final four innings in the circle. She was the third pitcher the Crusaders used that day, following Camille Oyer (two innings) and Sara Austin (one).
“Usually teams ride pitching, but one of our returning pitchers went down with an ACL injury early in the year so we kind of turned into pitching by committee,” Pezzoni said. “A freshman (Battigan) finished out the World Series, so we could give them different looks. After you see a team a second or third time you get to know their pitching, so we did a reverse psychology.”
Weather posed one of the biggest challenges to the Crusaders during the weeklong tournament, as two games were postponed due to heavy rain.
“It was horrible,” Pezzoni said. “You never knew when you were going to play, then you’re delayed. The schedule was constantly changing. But we have a group of girls who on and off the field get along great. They always found things to do.”
Rosiewicz was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player while Dunkel, Oyer and Fitzpatrick were also selected to the all-tournament team.
Besides winning the program’s first national championship, Madonna closed out its season with 16 straight victories.
“The last time we lost was April 15, and we played some tough games in the (league) tournament and the regionals,” Pezzoni said. “But this was just a tough, gritty group of girls. That’s why they came to Madonna.”
Men's lacrosse team falls in title game
Madonna University nearly won a second national title this spring, but the top-ranked men’s lacrosse team fell to Keiser (Fla.), 20-10, in the NAIA championship contest played May 16 in Decatur, Alabama.
Madonna (20-2) spent much of the contest playing from behind after the Seahawks (15-0) grabbed a four-goal lead in the first quarter, 7-3.
The Crusaders nearly made up the deficit in the second, as Owen Barker, Benjamin Reidy, Ross Preston, Cooper Regimbal and Spencer Guppy scored to close within 9-8 in the closing minutes of the first half.
From there, however, Keiser added a goal in the final minute of the quarter, and dominated the second half with a 10-2 run.
Preston, Regimbal and Ryan Davis finished with two goals apiece for the Crusaders. Goalkeeper Jonathan Bendfeldt faced 33 shots on net and made 13 saves.
Bendfeldt, Guppy, Preston and Daniel Smith were named to the 12-member All-Tournament team.
The runner-up outcome matched Madonna’s best finish in program history. The Crusaders were also finalists in 2018, when they reached the championship game at the national invitational tournament in just the program’s second year of existence.
Madonna previously earned national titles in women’s cross-country (2019) and men’s outdoor track and field (2021).
