Game 1 Box Score  |  Game 2 Box Score

The Malone University baseball team stretched its winning streak to six games on Thursday afternoon at Thurman Munson Stadium after recording victories of 7-1 and 3-0 in its American Mideast Conference doubleheader against Cedarville University. Left-handed starting pitcher Jeff Shenker led the way for the Pioneers in the opener by limiting the Yellow Jackets to just one unearned run on five hits over seven strong innings. Right-hander Tyler Newhart then picked up right where Shenker left off in game two, allowing just four Cedarville hits in his second complete-game shutout of the season. Following Thursday's action, Malone improved its record to 25-13 overall and 3-3 in the AMC while the Yellow Jackets dropped to 21-9 overall and 3-3 in conference play.

Cedarville jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning of game one. Yellow Jacket shortstop Alex Beelen, the reigning AMC Player of the Week, led off the game with a single to center. He then moved to second on a sacrifice bunt, advanced to third on a passed ball and then trotted home on a sacrifice fly to center by Cedarville leftfielder Tyler Rost. However, this early score would turn out to be the Yellow Jackets only run of the afternoon. Malone tied the game in the bottom of the fourth on a two-out bases-loaded walk by centerfielder Allen Strouble and then took command with a four-run fifth inning that was aided by a key Cedarville error. With two outs and the bases loaded, designated hitter Corey Hartong hit a ground ball to the Yellow Jacket second baseman who fielded the ball cleanly and threw the first. The Cedarville first baseman was unable to hang on to the ball, though, allowing the go-ahead run to cross the plate. A passed ball and bases loaded walks by rightfielder Marc Adams and shortstop Anthony Cono brought home three more runs later in the inning, pushing the Pioneer advantage to 5-1. Malone then tacked on two additional runs in the sixth with the help of three more Cedarville errors. Shenker improved his record to 2-2 on the season as he struck out six and walked just one. Yellow Jacket starting pitcher Cullen Montgomery suffered his first loss of the year (5-1) despite allowing just one earned run over the first 4.2 innings. Strouble paced the Malone offense by going 1-for-1 at the plate and driving in two runs after drawing a bases-walk in the fourth and being hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the sixth.

Game two lasted just an hour and 20 minutes as Newhart and Yellow Jacket starting pitcher Ryan Hayes combined to allow just five base hits through the first five innings. Malone got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the first as third baseman Bob Suitca plated leftfielder Sam Craciun from second with an RBI single through the right-side of the infield. Catcher T.J. Rosenberg, the next batter of the inning, followed with another single through the right side before Hayes settled in, retiring the next 14 Malone batters in order. Second baseman Justin Shiflett led off the top of the sixth by drawing his 102nd career walk to snap Hayes' streak and tie Scott McIlvain and Jay Scarpella for the Pioneer all-time bases on balls record. Back-to-back singles by Craciun and Suitca loaded the bases with no outs before Rosenberg drove home two insurance runs with a single to rightfield. This was more than enough offense for Newhart as he allowed just two Yellow Jackets to reach second base during his seven innings of work. Newhart struck out six and walked just two to improve his record to 5-1 on the season.

Malone will be back in action on Saturday as the squad travels to Cedarville for another 1:00 p.m. doubleheader against the Yellow Jackets. Fans that cannot make the trip can follow the action on-line with live statistics courtesy of the Cedarville Sports Information Department.