Game 1 Box Score           Game 2 Box Score

The Malone University baseball team collected two victories in as many games on Thursday during pool play of the three-team NCCAA East Region Tournament at Thurman Munson Stadium.  The host Pioneers defeated Houghton (NY) College 6-1 in the opener and then later defeated Nyack (NY) College 7-1 in the third and final game of the day.

Nyack edged Houghton 3-1 in the second game of the event.  After its pair of victories, Malone improved to 30-21 on the year and earned the top seed for Friday's championship round.  Nyack, posting a 1-1 mark, moved to 24-24 and secured the #2 seed while Houghton, which was 0-2 for the day, fell to 7-29 overall and will be the #3 seed.

On Friday, Nyack and Houghton will play an elimination game at 10:00 a.m.  Then, at 1:00 p.m., Malone will face the winner of that game in the NCCAA East Region Championship Game (1st of 2 possible championship games).

If Houghton wins the elimination game and then defeats Malone in the 1:00 p.m. contest, a second and final Championship Game will be held Friday evening (time TBA) to determine the NCCAA East Region Championship (Houghton cannot play on Saturday).

If Nyack wins the elimination game and then defeats Malone in the 1:00 p.m. contest, a second and final Championship Game will be held Saturday morning at 10:00 a.m. to determine the NCCAA East Region Championship.

If Malone wins the 1:00 p.m. game on Friday, Malone is the NCCAA East Region Champion.

NCCAA East Region Tournament Website

Note: Between games one and two, an NCCAA East Region Christian service project presentation was made as members of the Nyack, Houghton and Malone teams presented nearly 200 pounds of canned goods to the Jackson Friends Church youth group.  The group will take the food on its missions trip to Oklahoma City next month when they will serve the Kickapoo Indians with a work project, vacation bible school and meals throughout the week.

Game One Recap
With Malone competing as the visiting team in the opener, Houghton took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning before the Pioneers got a run of their own to tie it in the top of the third on an RBI double down the left field line by first baseman Matt Anderson that scored centerfielder Sean Gorby from second.

Malone broke the game open in the top of the fifth with four runs to grab a 5-1 lead.  The first of those runs came as designated hitter Frank Dufour walked with the bases loaded.  Then, with the bases still full, catcher T.J. Rosenberg smacked a three RBI double to right center to give Malone the four-run cushion.

The Pioneers got their final run of the contest in the top of the sixth as Gorby tripled to right center and then left fielder Sam Craciun, in the next at-bat, blasted a sacrifice fly to center to score Gorby.

Malone tallied a total of 10 hits in the contest to Houghton's five, four of which came in the first two innings. Gorby and second baseman Logan Gray each pocketed two hits in the contest for Malone while five different Highlanders earned hits for Houghton.

Pioneer starting pitcher Matt Litty went the distance allowing just the five hits as he improved to 4-1 on the season. In addition, he struck out six batters while walking only three. Houghton's Jared Knowlton also tossed the complete game but fell to 2-6 on the year.

Game Two Recap
Following up its 10-hit effort in the first game, Malone wrapped 11 hits in the final contest of the day as Nyack managed just four hits against Pioneer starter Jared Messer.

Messer, who hurled a complete game and improved to 9-3 on the season, had allowed only one hit going into the seventh and final inning before the visiting Warriors earned their one and only run of the contest with three hits in the frame. Messer fanned five batters overall and did not walk anyone. Nyack starter Cole Tobin, who pitched 4 2/3 innings, suffered the loss and fell to 2-2 on the year.

Malone took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning as rightfielder Marc Adams singled up the middle to score Rosenberg.

In the bottom of the third, the Pioneers plated three runs to post a 4-0 advantage as third baseman Bob Suitca drilled a two RBI triple to right field with Dufour following that up with an RBI double of his own down the left field line.

Malone would get one more three-run inning, this one in the fifth frame, as Adams tripled to score leftfielder Michael Chack and Rosenberg before scoring himself on the same play on a throwing error by the Nyack catcher.

With Malone leading 7-0 heading into the final inning, the visitors pushed across their only run of the contest with three hits to make the final score 7-1 in favor of the Pioneers.

Adams was a perfect three-for-three in the game while Anderson and Suitca each went two-for-three.