LIVONIA, Mich. - A slow start doomed the University of Northwestern Ohio baseball team in a bad day Friday at Madonna University. The Crusaders beat the Racers 11-1 in a run-rule eight inning first game, and Madonna clipped the Racers at the line with a 6-5 win in 10 innings in the second game.

The Crusaders (33-18, 17-9 Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference) got off to a 6-0 lead after the first inning in game one, and they upped the lead to 10-0 after the third inning. Junior Josh Deeg did the biggest damage for Madonna in the first, hitting a one-out grand slam down the right field line.

Madonna pounded out 10 hits compared to just three for UNOH (30-20, 14-12 WHAC). Ben Schubert, Dylan Brammer and Cesar Loiz all had hits for the Racers.

Adam Ashman took the loss, giving up nine runs, all earned, in two innings. The 6-foot-10 senior allowed six hits and two walks while striking out three.

The Racers fell behind in the second game as well, but it wasn't nearly as devastating. The Crusaders took a 3-0 lead after 2 1/2 innings, but the Racers scored three runs in the third and fourth innings to tie the contest. They again tied the game at 5-5 with two runs in the bottom of the seventh. Loiz had a run-scoring single in the third and Ben Smith had a RBI triple. Fabian Placencia and Schubert each had RBI singles in the seventh.

Deeg scored what became the game-winning run in the top of the 10th with two outs; he reached on a two-out walk, advanced to third on a double and scored on a throwing error after a strike out for what would have been the third out.

Alex McKinstry had three hits for Northwestern Ohio, and Smith and Schubert each had a pair.

Zachary Petrick started the game, working the first 4 2/3 innings but came up with a no-decision after allowing four runs on seven hits and three walks with four strikeouts. Brammer took the hard-luck loss, throwing the ninth and tenth innings, giving up one hit and one walk with three strikeouts, along with the one unearned run.

Despite the losses, UNOH remained in fourth place in the league standings, though they did fall three games back of Madonna in third place and six out of first place.

The top five teams in the league standings after tomorrow's games qualify for the WHAC tournament next week at Siena Heights University.They are two games ahead of the tie for fifth and sixth places.

The Racers close out the regular season with a 1 p.m. doubleheader tomorrow at Madonna.