SIOUX CITY, Iowa - The No. 16-raked Madonna University baseball team needed the heroics of a 12^th-inning home run from senior first baseman Kevin Zerbo (Farmington, Mich.) to seal up a 12-11 come back win over No. 13-ranked Fresno Pacific in the opening game of the 2009 NAIA Baseball National Championship Opening Round at Lewis and Clark Park on Tuesday (May 12).

Senior third baseman Aaron Hacias (Sterling Heights, Mich.) led the way at the plate for the Royal Blue and Gold, going 5-for-7 with four runs scored and hit his fifth home run of the season in the 10^th inning. Senior second baseman Ryan Morrow (Taylor, Mich.) was 4-for-6 while junior designated hitter Zach Flavin (Novi, Mich.) and Zerbo each collected three hits on the day.

Redshirt freshman righty Andy Omilian (Farmington, Mich.) picked up the win in relief, throwing four innings, striking out two for his third win of the season.

The Crusaders got on the board early, as Morrow led off the game with a triple and came home on the first pitch to sophomore centerfielder Shawn Little (Canton, Mich.) when Little roped a single to center to make it 1-0. Hacias followed with a single and after Little was cut down trying to steal third; Zerbo brought Hacias home for a 2-0 lead with a single to left.

The Madonna lead grew to 5-0 in the third as Hacias led off with a single and moved to third on a fly ball by sophomore rightfielder Matt Kay (Canton, Mich.). A single by Flavin score Hacias to make it 3-0. Junior leftfielder Ted Toune (Brooklyn Park, Minn.) then doubled and both runners came home after a single off the bat of sophomore shortstop Mike Gansser (Lake in the Hills, Ill.) for a 5-0 cushion.

It became a 6-0 game in the fourth as Morrow led off with a bunt single and after stealing second, was able to come home on another single by Little.

Fresno Pacific cut the Madonna lead in half in its half of the fourth when Justin Keeny connected on a three-run homer off of MU starter Jeff Sonnenberg (Lansing, Mich.) to make it 6-3 after four innings.

MU got a run back in the fifth when Flavin led off with a walk and after moving to third, came home on a sacrifice line out by Morrow to make it 7-3.

FPU put up three runs for the second straight inning in the fifth when Case Rigby hit a three run homer to trim the MU lead to one at 7-6.

The Crusaders pushed their lead back to three in the sixth as Hacias and Zerbo got the inning started with back-to-back singles. After both runners moved up on a wild pitch, Kay singled home Hacias to make it 8-6. Zerbo scored two batters later when Toune laced a single for a 9-6 lead.

The Sunbirds pulled to with-in two in the seventh, using a pair of base hits to score and make it 9-7.

A lead off double followed by a walk spelled trouble for MU in the bottom of the eighth as a hit batsman followed by a passed ball and a wild pitch allowed FPU to plate three runs in its half of the eighth to go in front 9-8.

The Crusaders manufactured a run in the ninth to square the game at nine. Flavin led off with a single and junior pinch runner Drew Fry (Madison Heights, Mich.) moved up to second on a sacrifice bunt by Toune. A pinch hit by senior Scott Boyer (Flat Rock, Mich.) moved Fry to third before another pinch hit, this one by redshirt freshman Billy Hardin III (Livonia, Mich.) to make it a 9-9 game.

The Sunbirds threatened in the bottom of the ninth after a Crusader miscue allowed the lead off runner to reach and put the winning run on base. After pinch runner Matt Souza moved to second on a sacrifice bunt, Dwight Nelson singled to right and Souza rounded third but was cut down at home by a laser beam of a throw from Kay to keep the game tied at nine.

Hacias led off the 10^th with a homer but FPU answered back with a run of its own in the bottom of the inning to send the game to its 11^th inning of action, this time tied at 10.

After neither side could plate a run in the 11^th, Zerbo stepped to the plate in the top of the 12^th and took the second pitch he saw over the wall in left center to give MU a 12-11 lead.

Omilian sent the Sunbirds down in order in the 12^th to give MU the come-from-behind win.