The Misericordia University baseball team split a doubleheader with Stevens in the MAC Freedom Championships series, Sunday afternoon at Tambur Field.

The Cougars dropped the opener, 15-5, but rallied to take the nightcap, 8-1.

In the opener, Austin Miles had two hits, including a three-run double, and Brady Madden had two hits.

Stevens took a 1-0 lead in the second on a solo homer to left center.

The Cougars answered with two runs in their half of the second.  Shane Hughes reached via hit by pitch and came all the around on Brady Madden's triple to right center.  Madden came home when Joe Liscio reached on an error to put MU ahead.

Stevens went back in front in the top of the third as the Ducks turned a lead-off single and four wild pitches into three runs to take a 4-2 lead.

The Ducks added three more in the fifth.  After a lead-off walk, Stevens put together five base hits to take a 7-2 lead.

Stevens got a pair of two-out hits to plate three runs in the top of the sixth to increase their lead to 10-2.

Misericordia answered with three runs in the bottom of the frame.  Shane Hughes led off with an infield single and went to third on Brady Madden's bloop double over first.  Joe Comins drew four-pitch, pinch-hit walk and Austin Miles one-hopped an 0-2 pitch off the left field wall to clear the bases and get the Cougars within 10-5.

Stevens took advantage of an MU error to answer with three runs in the top of the seventh to go up, 13-5.

The Ducks closed out the scoring with a pair of runs in the top of eighth.

In game two, the Cougars scored in each of the first three innings and never looked back.

Brady Madden hit a two-run homer to back Brendan Gray, who scattered six hits over 5.2 innings to improve to 8-2.

Garrett McIlhenney led off the bottom of the first inning with an opposite-field single and moved to second on Santino Manganella's walk.  Following a sacrifice bunt, Sean Boylan grounded out to second to drive in MU's first run.
Shane Hughes was hit by a pitch to open the second inning and took second on a wild pitch.  One out later, Joe Liscio lined a single to center to make it 2-0.
 
MU used a two-out rally to tack on a pair of runs in the third.  Derrick Vosburg was hit by a pitch and Hughes walked before Madden singled to center to drive in a run.  Hughes came home on a wild pitch to give the Cougars a 4-0 lead.

Leading 4-1, the Cougars put the game away with four runs in the seventh.

Dante Salerno reached on an infield single to open the frame and advanced to second on a wild pitch.  Shane Hughes grounded a two-out single through the left side to plate Salerno and Madden followed with a two-run homer to left for a 7-1 lead.
The Cougars combined two hit by pitches and two walks to manufacture their eighth run.

Misericordia will travel to Stevens for the championship series finale, Monday at 3:00.