The Malone University baseball team began its second straight weekend series with a walk-off loss but answered back with a victory in game two. After falling to Ashland in game one last Friday on a walk-off homerun, the Pioneers suffered a similar fate on Saturday at Wayne State, dropping the opener of the four-game series 6-5 on a two-out single in the bottom of the seventh. Unlike last week, however, Malone responded with a victory in the second game, relying on an outstanding pitching effort to beat the Warriors 2-1 and earn a doubleheader split.
 
Game One Recap:
Jon Crank registered his team-leading 42nd RBI of the season with a sacrifice fly in the top half of the first inning to give the Pioneers an early 1-0 lead. That lead was quickly erased when the Warriors answered with a run of their own in the bottom of the frame.
 
Malone would break the 1-1 tie with two runs in the top of the third. Austin Pachan reached base via an infield single and scored when Keanan Locke tagged a double into the left centerfield gap. Two batters later, Locke would come around to score on Jon Crank's RBI single that put Malone in front 3-1.
 
The Pioneers increased their lead to 5-1 with two more runs in the top of the sixth. Back-to-back two-out run-scoring doubles from Joe Crank and Austin Pachan would give Malone a four-run cushion entering into the bottom of the sixth.
 
After cruising through four scoreless innings, Malone starting pitcher Braun Miller hit a snag in the sixth. A leadoff triple followed by two singles made it a 5-2 ball game with runners at the corners.  After getting the hook, both of Miller's inherited runners would later score as the Warriors cut the deficit to 5-4.
 
A 1-2-3 top of the seventh brought Wayne State to the plate for its final at bat. The first two batters went down in order before the Warriors leadoff man Ryan Mergener singled with two outs in the inning. Mergener would score the tying run on a double from Brad Baldwin that fell just out of the reach of a diving Keanan Locke in right center. Baldwin scored the decisive run on Griffin Harms' game-winning single that gave the Warriors a 6-5 win and a punched ticket to the GLIAC Tournament.
 
Ryan Sarbaugh finished with three hits in three at bats while Richie Mast added two singles.
 
Game Two Recap:
The Warriors scored their only run of the game in the first inning. A hit batsman and a double off Malone starter Joshua Hurford gave Wayne State a 1-0 lead. Hurford settled down to toss four straight scoreless innings to keep the Warriors at bay.
 
Despite putting a pair of runners on in each of the first two innings, the Pioneers were held scoreless until breaking through for their only two runs in the top of the fifth. With runners at first and second, Richie Mast singled through the hole to tie it up at 1-all. Jon Crank's RBI groundout two pitches later gave Malone a 2-1 advantage.
 
Appearing in relief of Hurford (3-1), Roscoe Blackburn held the Warriors to just one hit over the final four innings to earn his first career save.
 
Keanan Locke and Richie Mast each provided three hits at the top of the order while Ryan Sarbaugh added two base knocks for the victors
 
Up Next:
The Pioneers (25-21) will remain in Detroit to wrap the regular season and finish up their four-game set with another doubleheader on Sunday, May 8th. First pitch is slated for 12:00 pm. Preview notes are available here.