Game 1 Box Score  |  Game 2 Box Score

The Malone University baseball team kept rolling on Friday afternoon at the RussMatt Invitational in Phoenix, Arizona as the squad tallied a pair of victories over Dakota Wesleyan (SD) University. The Pioneers registered a 3-1 triumph in game one and then used a big seven-run fourth inning to pull away for 10-0, run-rule victory in the finale. With the doubleheader sweep, Malone stretched its winning streak to seven games while improving its overall record to 12-5. The Tigers, meanwhile, dropped to 2-13 with the pair of losses.

The Pioneers jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the third inning of Friday's opener on an RBI double by second baseman Justin Shiflett. Malone then tacked on two more runs in the top of the fifth with back-to-back two-out RBI singles by centerfielder Allen Strouble and third baseman Jimmy Cooperider. Dakota Wesleyan answered with a run in the bottom of the fifth, but was unable to get any closer the rest of the way. Right-hander Camden Carter started on the mound and picked up his second victory of the season (2-0) after limiting the Tigers to one run on three hits over the first five innings. Right-hander Cullen Bahler then blanked Dakota Wesleyan over the final two frames to register his first career save.

The Pioneers' strong pitching then continued in game two as right-hander Cory Wise limited the Tigers to just one hit in the six-inning shutout. Wise struck out seven en route to notching his first victory (1-0) in a Malone uniform. The Pioneers got on the scoreboard with two runs in the bottom of the second inning and then blew the game open with their seven-run outburst in the fourth. Dakota Wesleyan started off the inning with a strikeout, but the next seven Pioneers to step to the plate recorded singles to slowly put the game out of reach. Shiflett and first baseman Matt Anderson delivered the big blows, each driving in two runs apiece. Following the fourth-inning onslaught, Malone tacked on one more run in the bottom of the sixth to cement the run-rule victory. 11 different Malone players posted base hits in the game and of Malone's 13 total hits, 12 were singles. Catcher T.J. Rosenberg posted the lone extra-base hit with a second-inning double.

Malone will wrap up play in Arizona on Saturday with three more games. The Pioneers will take on Arizona Christian University at 9:00 a.m. MST (11:00 a.m. EST) before facing off with Indiana Wesleyan University in a 12:30 p.m. MST (2:30 EST) doubleheader.