FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The No. 23-ranked Indiana Tech baseball team took the first game of the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) Tournament Championship Series against Madonna University as they won game one 18-9, on Monday evening at Warrior Field.
 
The Warriors took a lead right away in a rematch of last year's championship series as Glen McClain smashed his 16^th home run of the season on the second pitch he saw in the bottom of the first to put the hosts up 1-0. Tech proceeded to bat around in the second as they scored six runs on four hits and three walks. Spencer McGhee provided the big hit as he laced a two-out triple down the right field line to clear the bases and make it a 6-1 game.
 
The Crusaders got one back in the third thanks to a homer from Jalen Thomas, but starter Hayes Sturtsman worked out of a two-base jam with one out by recording back-to-back swinging strikeouts. Tech's offense continued to churn with runs in the third and fourth to extend the lead to 9-1, but a pair of two-run homers from Madonna cut the deficit to 9-5 in the fifth.
 
The Orange and Black countered the Crusaders punch with RBI singles from McGhee and Javier Castaneda in the bottom of the fifth while the regular season WHAC champions used a five-run seventh inning to put the nail in the coffin for game one. Tech scored five runs on five hits and took off a throwing error and a passed ball as well to extend the lead to 17-8.
 
McGhee drove one of the left center field wall three pitches into the eight to give him five RBI's on the night and capped the Warriors scoring as they put up a run in every inning they batted in. McGhee finished the game with four hits while Castaneda and Jake DeFries had three knocks each, with the former driving in three runs.
 
Tech (37-14-1) takes on Madonna in game two of the WHAC Championship Series on Tuesday at 3 p.m. from Warrior Field. Game three will take place 30 minutes following the conclusion of game two if the Crusaders win.