GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The beginning to the key WHAC four-game series of the season for Davenport baseball did not get off on the right foot as they dropped a pair of games against Madonna University on Friday to slip into second place. The Crusaders are red hot having won 16 straight and are now one and a half games ahead of Davenport with six conference games remaining. The Panthers will look to regain their swagger on Saturday with a doubleheader against the Crusaders starting at 1 p.m. The senior class will be honored between games.

The first inning doomed the Panthers in game one as usually reliable Corey Murphy was not himself and gave up six runs (five earned) in just one inning with three walks. Murphy is now 7-2 on the hill this season. The big blow in the first inning was a bases-clearing triple by Taylor Grzelakowski to the left center gap. Levi Larmour also had a two-RBI double to left for the Crusaders.

The Panthers dug themselves a hole but did score twice in the bottom of the first. Travis Bolin tripled to right which scored Connor Seymour after a leadoff double. Matt Priebe then had a RBI groundout to third scoring Bolin. Madonna scored again in the second with a single run and added three more tallies in the third for a 10-2 lead. Michael Meade gave up the second inning run and Brady Kais yielded the third inning runs. John Lauro had a sacrifice fly in the third and Grzelakowski had a RBI single.

Davenport scored single runs in the fourth, sixth, eighth and ninth innings but could muster a big rally to get back into the game. Davenport had 16 hits in the game with each one coming off starter Evan Piechota. He got the win in 8.1 innings and gave up six earned with three walks and four strikeouts. He tossed 146 pitches including 98 strikes improving to 7-3. Bolin went 3-for-5 and his triple was his 10th of the season. Brandon Larkin-Guilfoyle went 2-for-5 with his eighth double and a run scored. Seymour went 3-for-4 with his third triple of the year. Zac Wilson went 3-for-5 with a run and two RBI.

Madonna had one big inning with six runs in the fourth and it was enough for a 6-2 win in game two. Bryan Saucedo hadn't given up a hit in the first three innings before the Crusaders chased him in the fourth with one out. Shane Dokey led off with a double followed by a Ryan Lambrecht single and a Jalen Thomas double. Jimmy White had a RBI double to left center and Larmour had a two-RBI single.

Davenport took a 2-0 lead with two runs in the third. Bolin walked with one out and stole second while going to third on a wild pitch. Priebe launched a RBI triple to right center for the first run. Larkin-Guilfoyle then hit a sacrifice fly to left for the second run.

The Panthers left eight runners on base and had just six hits in game two off Johno Rodriguez. He improved to 9-2 throwing all seven innings (122 pitches) with four walks and five strikeouts. Alex Schuiling tossed two scoreless relief innings and Jonathan Cheshire threw a clean 1.2 innings allowing one hit. Brent Showers went 2-for-3 for Davenport as the only player with multiple hits in the lineup.