The Malone University baseball team improved to 9-9 on the season and 3-1 in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletics Conference (GLIAC) after taking two from Lake Erie College Saturday afternoon. The Pioneers scored nine runs in the first three innings and won game one 12-4. In game two, the two squads combined for 26 runs and 32 hits as Malone went on to capture Saturday's finale 16-10.
 
Game One Recap:
Austin Pachan drew a bases-loaded walk to open the scoring in the bottom of the second before Keanan Locke cleared the bases with his first career grand slam that put Malone up 5-0.
 
Malone tallied four more runs in the bottom of the third to take a commanding nine-run lead. Brenden Wells' RBI double preceded a pinch-hit two-run double from Ryan Sarbaugh. Locke recorded his 5th RBI of the game with a run-scoring single.
 
After the Storm plated two runs in the top of the fourth, Wells made it 10-2 with another RBI in the bottom of the inning.
 
Lake Erie scored two runs in the top of the sixth before Wells came through again for the Pioneers with a two-run double that gave Malone a 12-4 edge that proved to be the final verdict in game one.
 
In addition to the offense provided from Locke, Wells and Sarbaugh, Jon Crank added two hits and three runs scored while Matt Davis added a pair of singles and a pair of runs.
 
Braun Miller (2-0) picked up the win on the hill after giving up four runs while striking out four in six innings pitched.
 
Game Two Recap:
The Pioneers saw themselves down 5-1 after Lake Erie's top half of the third inning before the offensive flood gates opened up. Malone scored at least one run in each of the final six innings, pounding out 20 hits in the process.
 
Seven Pioneers had at least two hits in the game and five batters drove in at least two runs as Malone's lineup got the better of Lake Erie's pitching staff.
 
Keanan Locke finished a perfect 5-for-5 at the plate, scoring four runs and driving in two more. With Locke setting the table, number two hitter Richie Mast was the beneficiary, driving in a career-high five runs on three hits including a triple.
 
Austin Pachan added his own triple as part of a career-high four hits while Matt Davis added two hits, two RBI and four runs scored. Derek Carmichael broke out of a 1-for-20 slump with two base knocks and three runs driven in.
 
Brenden Wells wrapped up his terrific day at the plate with a two-run opposite field homerun that put Malone ahead 16-7 in the bottom of the eighth.
 
Lake Erie scored three runs in the top of the ninth, but it was too little too late as the Pioneers tied their highest single game scoring output in a GLIAC contest, prevailing 16-10.

Up Next:
The Pioneers will square off against Notre Dame College (OH) in a non-conference clash on Wednesday, March 30th at 11:00 am at Massillon Jackson High School.