The Malone University baseball team received a pair of superb starting pitching performances, including a no-hit game from junior righthander Joshua Hurford, in a doubleheader sweep of Alderson Broaddus University in Saturday's home opener. Hurford faced just one batter over the minimum in a seven-inning no-no in game two as the Pioneers won 5-0. His tremendous achievement followed an outstanding effort from lefthander Roscoe Blackburn in the Pioneers 6-1 victory in game one.
 
Hurford's no-hitter, believed to be Malone's first in at least the last 25 years, helped the Pioneers improve their record to 14-8 on the season and 4-2 in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference.
 
Game One Recap
Blackburn set the tone early, working a three-pitch top of the first in game one. He would go on to pitch a scoreless second and third innings before a throwing error in the top of the fourth would lead to Alderson Broaddus' only run of the afternoon. The junior southpaw, who came into the game with a perfect 0.00 ERA in 22.1 innings, stretched the streak to 29.1 straight after pitching through the seventh.
 
While Blackburn (2-0) was dealing for the Pioneers, AB senior Michael Mnich was every bit his equal, striking out 11 Malone hitters through five scoreless frames. The Pioneers would finally get to Mnich in the bottom of the sixth when Matt Noel delivered the game-tying base hit to score Brenden Wells.
 
With the score tied 1-1 in the bottom of the seventh, a leadoff walk by Zach Mottice chased Mnich (2-4) who was charged with the tough-luck loss, A bunt single from Nate Cobb and a sac bunt from Joe Crank put runners on second and third for Wells who came through with the two-run single to center to break the deadlock.
 
Malone plated three more runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to stretch its lead to 6-1. An RBI double down the right field line by Michael Mathieu made it 4-1 before RBIs from Ryan Sarbaugh and Joe Crank gave Malone a five-run lead.
 
Jordan Yoder (1 IP, 1 K) and Clyde Yoder (1 IP, 2 K) helped the Pioneers clinched the victory with two innings of scoreless relief. Blackburn allowed just four hits and two walks while striking out nine over his seven innnings. He worked out of a jam in the seventh, stranding a runner at third by retiring back-to-back Battlers to end the threat.
 
Brenden Wells collected three hits and two RBI to lead the offensive attack. Matt Noel added a pair of singles.
 
Game Two Recap
Going up against Battlers' ace Randy Dobnak, who threw a no-hitter in 2015, Joshua Hurford, now 4-0, needed just 76 pitches to complete the no-no of his own.  
 
After a 1-2-3 top of the first, Malone gave Hurford the only run he would need when Keanan Locke delivered a single to plate Nate Cobb who led off the bottom of the first with a double down the left field line. From there Hurford went to work.
 
While Hurford was retiring batter after batter, the Malone offense touched up Dobnak for two runs in the fourth and two more in the fifth. A perfectly-executed suicide squeeze bunt from Joe Crank plated two in the fourth before an RBI single from Matt Noel and sacrifice fly from Michael Mathieu made it 5-0 in the fifth.
 
Hurford was perfect through four innings before losing his perfect game bid with a full-count walk to lead off the fifth. Three straight flyouts, however, ended any sort of Battler threat.
 
The junior sidewinder, who struck out just three batters in game, kept Alderson Broaddus off-balanced all afternoon with a mix off-speed pitches and pin-point location. The Battlers struggled to find their timing as Hurford worked his magic and induced 15 fly-ball outs.
 
The Pioneer defense behind Hurford was terrific. In the top of the sixth, sensing that something special was in the works, Keanan Locke made the play of the game. After ranging at full sprint for a soft blooper to shallow left, the senior leftfielder made a sliding catch at full extension to snag the ball just inches off the ground. Following Locke's spectacular grab in the sixth, Hurford coaxed the Battlers into five unspectacular flyouts.
 
The final putout of the game was recorded on a lazy fly ball to centerfielder Nate Cobb. Hurford was mobbed at the mound by his teammates, many seemingly unaware of what he just accomplished.
 
By the time the dust had settled, the Malone pitching staff as whole limited Alderson Broaddus to just four hits and one unearned run over 16 innings of the twinbill. Matt Noel, who caught both games behind the plate, went 3-for-3 in the nightcap. Cobb and third baseman Damian Maglione added two hits apiece.
 
Up Next
Malone will be back in action on Sunday for another doubleheader with the Battlers. First pitch is scheduled for 12 o'clock noon.