Game 1 Box Score  |  Game 2 Box Score

The Malone University baseball team concluded its four-game American Mideast Conference weekend series against Notre Dame College on Saturday evening by tallying a 1-1 record in a pair of games at Thurman Munson Stadium. After notching two shutout victories at the Pipe Yard in Lorain, Ohio on Friday afternoon, the Pioneers' strong pitching continued in game one on Saturday as left-handed starter Jeff Shenker led Malone to a 6-1 victory after tossing six strong innings. The Pioneers then jumped out to an 8-1 lead in the finale before the Falcons rallied back for a wild 9-8 win in extra innings. Notre Dame managed to avoid the series sweep in game two after knotting the contest 8-8 with six runs in the top of the seventh and then taking the lead for good with a one-out RBI single in the top of the eighth. Malone's record moved to 28-16 overall and 6-6 in the AMC with Saturday's results. The Falcons, meanwhile, now possess a 20-16 overall mark with a 3-9 record in conference play.

Due to heavy rainfall early in the day, the start time for game one was pushed back to 4:00 p.m. The three-hour delay did not seem to bother Shenker, however, as he held Notre Dame to one unearned run on six hits over the first six innings en route to earning his third win (3-2) of the season. The Pioneers plated three runs in the bottom of the second and two more runs in the third to grab a 5-1 lead. Designated hitter Michael Chack and first baseman Matt Anderson helped fuel Malone's early offense by delivering back-to-back RBI base hits in each inning. Anderson then tacked on another run in the bottom of the fifth after singling up the middle and then coming all the way around to score on a double to left-center by rightfielder Marc Adams. Malone registered 12 hits in the game as Anderson led the way by going 3-for-3 with a double, two RBI's and two runs scored. Adams went 2-for-3 with a pair of doubles while Chack and catcher T.J. Rosenberg also posted two hits apiece.

The Pioneers built their 8-1 advantage in game two by scoring two runs in the first, second, third, and fifth innings. The Notre Dame offense, which had been held in check through the first three-plus games of the series, then came alive over the final three frames of Saturday's finale as the Falcons stormed back for the victory with eight unanswered runs. NDC trimmed the deficit to 8-2 with an unearned run in the top of the sixth and then tied the game with its six-run outburst in the top of the seventh. The Falcons brought home the first four runs of the frame before an out was recorded as the first seven NDC batters of the inning reached base with five singles sandwiched around a walk and a Malone error. Following a bases-loaded strikeout, Notre Dame pinch hitter Benji Jarabeck looked to drive home the tying runs with a double to left. However, after the runner from third crossed the plate, the Falcon base runner attempting to score from second was thrown out at home on a strong relay throw from shortstop Joe Goddard to catcher Tyler Adkins. With two outs, runners on second and third and Malone clinging to an 8-7 lead, the next batter of the inning, Falcon leftfielder Michael Bova, managed to plate the tying run after hitting a slow grounder to short and beating out the throw on a bang-bang play at first base. Notre Dame then grabbed the lead the following inning when second baseman Jesseph Bartle reached on a two-base throwing error and later came around to score on a one-out RBI single to right by catcher Eric Cunningham.

Falcon pitcher Sean Harnish, who came on in the bottom of the sixth, picked up the win (4-0) in relief after allowing just one Malone base hit over the final three innings. Pioneer reliever Jesse Coblentz was saddled with the loss (1-2) after giving up the unearned run in the top of the eighth. The two squads combined for a total of 26 hits in the series finale, 14 for NDC and 12 for Malone. Anderson reached base in each of his plate appearances for the second straight game, going 2-for-2 with two singles, two walks and three runs scored. Goddard, leftfielder Sam Craciun, and centerfielder Allen Strouble also posted two hits apiece while pinch hitter Corey Hartong came through with a clutch two-out, two-run double in the fifth.

Malone will be back in action on Tuesday at Thurman Munson Stadium when the squad hosts the University of Akron. The nine-inning contest between the Pioneers and NCAA Division I Zips is set to get underway at 6:00 p.m.