Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

The Malone University baseball team dropped both games of its home opener against Grand Valley State (MI) University on Saturday afternoon at Thurman Munson Stadium, falling by scores of 1-0 and 10-1.

The squads will conclude the three-game weekend series on Sunday afternoon with a nine-inning contest, starting at 12:00 p.m.

Game One Recap
Game one, the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) opener for both teams, featured a pitchers' duel between the Pioneers' Jared Messer and the Lakers' Kyle Teague.

Messer went the distance on the mound for Malone, suffering the loss (2-1) despite giving up just two hits and one unearned run over his seven innings of work.

GVSU broke the scoreless tie in the top of the sixth.  Laker second baseman Kevin Zak led off the inning with a walk and then moved to second when the next batter, first baseman Giancarlo Brugnoni, was hit by a pitch.  A passed ball advanced the base runners to second and third before Zak raced home on an RBI groundout by leftfielder Jamie Potts.

Messer retired the next two hitters of the inning on pop-ups and then worked a scoreless seventh.  However, the Pioneers were unable to manufacture any runs against Teague and closer Brad Zambron.

Teague improved to 2-0 on the season after working the first 6.1 innings, surrendering five hits while striking out five.  Zambron entered the game in the bottom of the seventh following a one-out single by leftfielder Keanan Locke and retired the next two batters he faced to preserve the win and pick up his third save of the season.

The Pioneers totaled five singles in the game, each by a different batter.  GVSU managed just two hits, but also drew three walks and had four runners reach base via hit by pitch.

Game Two Recap
The Lakers took command early on in game two by plating four runs in the top of the first inning.  An RBI double by Zak made it 5-0 in the top of the second inning before the Pioneers managed to get on the scoreboard in the bottom of the third when Locke came around to score on an RBI single by centerfielder Daulton Ritter.

Malone was unable to get any closer, though, as GVSU tacked on four runs in the sixth and one run in the seventh to put the contest out of reach.

Left-hander Alex Haines started on the mound for the Pioneers and took the loss (1-2) after giving up six runs (four earned) on seven hits over the first 5.1 innings.

Patrick Kelly earned the win (1-2) for GVSU after tossing the first six frames.

The Pioneers tallied six hits in the game, led by second baseman Bryce Miller, who went 2-for-3 with a pair of singles.  Catcher Taylor Banks drove in three runs for the Lakers, ripping a single in the first to go with a two-run double in the sixth.