A milestone win for WolfPack baseball coach

Victory over McHenry was 1,000th in Davenport’s career

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Andres Sanchez

Gunnar Doyle (19) takes a cut at a pitch during a recent home game for the Madison College baseball team.

As the season heads into its final weeks, Madison College remains one of the top-ranked teams in the NJCAA Division II.

In fact, prior to a series of three close losses in the last week of April, the WolfPack was ranked No. 1.

Still, the team boasts a 34-6 overall record and 8-2 conference record, and will likely remain near the top of the polls for the rest of the season and has high hopes of making a return trip to the NJCAA Division II World Series.

On May 1, the WolfPack beat McHenry County College, 7-4, in the first game of a doubleheader to earn Coach Mike Davenport his 1,000th career victory. Of those wins, 339 were earned at Kishwaukee College, where he coached prior to coming to Madison College for the 2005 season.

A three-run fourth inning gave Madison College a 5-2 lead the team wouldn’t relinquish. Gabe Roessler had two hits and knocked in two runs to lead the WolfPack, while Zach Storbakken added a triple.

In the second game of the doubleheader, Madison College scored four runs in the first two innings and then held off McHenry County the rest of the way for a 4-1 victory.

Storbakken led the WolfPack with two hits, while Cameron Dupont, Brady Jurgella and Carter Stebane each hit a double.

Madison College returns home on May 5 for a doubleheader with Highland Community College.

Madison College 10, Black Hawk 0
Zach Storbakken capped off a six-run fourth inning with a three-run home run to lead Madison College to a 10-0 win over Black Hawk College in five innings on April 21. It was Storbakken’s team-leading fifth home run of the season. Jett Thielke pitched the shutout for his sixth win of the year.

Madison College 3, Black Hawk 2
Madison College swept the doubleheader in dramatic fashion, when catcher Eduardo Saucedo got a walk-off base hit to drive in Storbakken for a 3-2 victory. The game had been tied at 2-2 since the bottom of the third inning despite the WolfPack’s 10 hits in the game.

Madison College 6, Harper College 2
A four-run second inning enabled Madison College to pull away from Harper College enroute to a 6-2 victory at home on April 23. Jake Nelson had three hits with three RBIs, while Eli Kramer added two hits and scored twice.

Madison College 9, Harper College 6
The second game of the doubleheader saw Madison College get off to a strong start with six runs in the bottom of the first inning on its way to a 9-6 victory. Gunnar Doyle and Roessler both had two hits and scored twice in the game.

Madison College 3, Kankakee 1
A battle between two ranked teams saw No. 1 Madison College prevail over No. 12 Kankakee College, 3-1, at home on April 24. The WolfPack scored twice in the bottom of the fourth inning to break a 1-1 tie. Storbakken and Saucedo both had two hits to lead the offense.

Madison College 10, Kankakee 1
The second game of the doubleheader saw Madison College dominate with four runs in the second and fourth innings to claim a 10-1 win over Harper College. Storbakken went 3 for 3 with two runs scored, while Kramer added two hits and drove in three runs.

Madison College 9, Kishwaukee 5
A 9-5 win over visiting Kishwaukee College on April 25 extended Madison College’s winning streak to 15 games, its longest of the season. The WolfPack had nine hits in the game, but also took advantage of nine walks by Kishwaukee.

College of Lake County 3, Madison College 1
A close, 3-1, loss to College of Lake County on the road on April 26 ended Madison College’s winning streak. Madison College was held to five hits in the game, including two by Brady Jurgella to increase his team-leading total to 46 hits.

College of Lake County 8, Madison College 7
Madison College jumped out to a 7-2 lead in game two of the doubleheader, but allowed two runs in the sixth inning and four runs in seventh in a walk-off loss. Both innings were aided by a rare Madison College error.

Joliet Junior College 2, Madison College 0
Madison College suffered its third-straight loss, falling to host Joliet Junior College, 2-0, on April 29. The WolfPack was shutout despite having six hits in the game, including two by Roessler.

Madison College 10, Joliet Junior College 0
The second game of the doubleheader was a different story as Madison College scored a 10-0 win over Joliet on 10 hits. Carson Fluno pitched the win, allowing just three hits and striking out seven batters.