Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

The Malone University baseball team split its Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference doubleheader at Ohio Dominican University on Wednesday, pulling out a 6-5, extra-inning victory in game one before falling 5-3 in the finale.

The Pioneers' record moved to 14-20 overall and 7-14 in the GLIAC following Wednesday's games while the Panthers now stand at 14-21 overall and 10-11 in conference play.

Malone will be back in action on Saturday when the squad welcomes NCAA Division II #19 Ashland University to Thurman Munson Stadium for a 1:00 p.m. doubleheader.

Game One Recap
The Pioneers built a 5-1 advantage in the opener before ODU fought back to knot the score with a four-run outburst in the bottom of the sixth inning.

The score then remained deadlocked at 5-5 until the top of the ninth.  Second baseman Tyler Eagon led off the frame with a double to right-centerfield.  A sacrifice bunt by centerfielder Daulton Ritter moved Eagon to third before shortstop Bryce Miller lined a single up the middle to put the Pioneers on top 6-5.

The Panthers loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, but Malone reliever Jesse Coblentz managed to escape trouble, preserving the win by inducing a groundout back towards the mound. 

Coblentz earned the win (1-1) after blanking ODU over the final 3.2 innings.  Left-hander Alex Haines tossed the first 5.1 innings, surrendering five runs (four earned) on four hits.

Malone had grabbed a 3-1 lead in the top of the fifth, scoring solo runs on consecutive Panther errors.  The Pioneers then tacked on two more scores in the sixth.  First baseman Jon Crank led off the frame with his first career home run to make it 4-1.  After doubling to center later in the inning, leftfielder Keanan Locke then came around the score when Eagon drilled a single through the right side of the infield.

The Pioneers tallied 12 hits in the contest, led by Crank's 3-for-4 performance at the plate.  Eagon, Locke, Miller, and third baseman Bob Suitca all added two hits apiece.

Game Two Recap
Malone grabbed an early 1-0 advantage in the top of the second inning of the finale as Crank reached on a walk and then came all the way around to score on a two-out triple by Locke. 

The Panthers plated three runs in the third and one run in the fourth to pull ahead 4-1 before Malone answered back in the fifth, cutting the deficit to 4-3 with a sacrifice fly by Miller and a two-out RBI single by rightfielder Michael Chack.

However, the Pioneers were unable to complete the comeback as Ohio Dominican plated an unearned run in the bottom of the fifth and then held Malone off the scoreboard over the final two innings.

Tyler Whitlach tossed all six frames for the Pioneers, falling to 2-4 on the year after surrendering the five runs (only two of which were earned) on eight hits.

Locke tallied two of Malone's six hits, notching a single in the fifth to go with his RBI triple in the second.