Rockford, MI – Baseball is often called a game of inches, and never did that feel more true than during Saturday's frigid twin bill between Aquinas and Madonna. Let me paint the picture: it was 38 degrees with sustained winds of 12–18 mph, translating to a "feels like" temperature of 32 (thanks to ChatGPT). In other words—it was really cold. Yet, nearly 220 fans braved the chill to watch a doubleheader that could've swung either way, if not for a few inches here or there. When the dust settled, the teams split the WHAC conference showdown.

Game 1: Madonna 10, Aquinas 1

If you're playing the "what if" game, this one had plenty of moments to circle. A miscommunication and an early error opened the door for Madonna, who wasted no time capitalizing with aggressive base-running—including a double steal—to jump out to a 3–0 lead. From there, the Crusaders added four more in the fourth and two in the seventh to put the game away.

Aquinas scratched across its lone run in the sixth. Ramsey Bousseau laced a triple and was brought home on a Luke LaCross sacrifice fly to center. Bousseau, LaCross, Dylan Nguyen, Grant Martin, and Dawson Shearer accounted for the Saints' five hits.

Madonna's Alex Duley was dominant on the mound, going the distance in a complete-game win. Cameron Gross got the start for AQ, working 3.1 innings before giving way to Aaron Moore (sporting #20 instead of his usual #14), who pitched the final 3.2 in relief.

Inside the Numbers (Game 1):

• Ramsey Bousseau: 1-for-3, triple, scored AQ's lone run
• Luke LaCross: 1-for-2, RBI on sac fly
• Cameron Gross: 3.1 IP, 6 R (3 ER), 3 H, 4 BB, 1 HBP (loss)
• Alex Duley (Madonna): CG win, 5 H, 3 K, 0 BB

Game 2: Aquinas 5, Madonna 4 (10 innings)

Whatever Coach Chris LaMange said between games clearly resonated. The Saints came out sharper, found clutch hits when they needed them, and held on through defensive miscues to earn a hard-fought 5–4 win in extras. Despite five errors, eight walks, and a few baserunning blunders, Aquinas dug deep to salvage the split.

The Saints struck first behind a two-run triple from Stephen Weinert, scoring Kasy Shadduck and Chase Robinson. JT LaMange added an eighth-inning RBI single to score pinch runner Owen Graves.

Starter Ethan Pequette was strong through five shutout innings but received a no-decision after the bullpen allowed Madonna to tie things up. Blake Waibel and Grant Martin combined for the final five frames, with Martin earning both a blown save and the eventual win.

In the bottom of the tenth, the Saints walked it off. After a leadoff walk to Shadduck, Brayden Monroe came on to pinch run. Weinert followed with his second triple of the day—this one to right-center—allowing Monroe to score easily from first and sending the AQ faithful home happy.

Aquinas wrapped up the day at 16–19 overall and 9–5 in WHAC play, remaining ahead of Madonna in the conference standings.

Inside the Numbers (Game 2):

• Ethan Pequette: 5 IP, 0 R, 3 BB, 3 K, 1 HBP, 1 WP (no-decision)
• Stephen Weinert: 2-for-4, 2 triples, 3 RBI, 1 BB, walk-off winner
• Chase Robinson: 1-for-2, 2 BB, 2 runs scored
• JT LaMange: 2-for-3, 1 BB, 1 RBI
• Bobby Cavin (Madonna): 6-for-6, 2 doubles, 3 BB, 5 RBI, 1 run scored, caught both games—outstanding performance

Coach's Comments:

Head Coach Chris LaMange on the doubleheader split and the significance of the Game 2 win:
"This was a huge win for the Saints today in Game Two of the doubleheader. Always tough when you give up a lead late, but I'm really proud of how our guys battled back. Great to see Stephen come through with the clutch hit in extra innings. Always exciting to get that first walk-off win of the season—huge to get the split and stay ahead of Madonna in the standings."

Up Next:

The Saints will wrap up the weekend with a WHAC doubleheader against Cleary on Sunday. Game 1 is scheduled for a 1:00 PM first pitch, with Game 2 starting approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of the opener. Full recaps and updates will be available at AQSaints.com.