The Malone University baseball team salvaged a two-game split with Kentucky Wesleyan College in a Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) doubleheader on Saturday afternoon. After dropping game one 4-2 in 11 innings, the Pioneers bounced back with a 3-2 victory on a walkoff single from Joe Crank in the nightcap. The Pioneers, now 16-12 on the season and 6-4 in the G-MAC, are slated to close out the four-game series with the Panthers with another doubleheader on Sunday.
 
Game One Recap
The Pioneers wasted another quality start from Roscoe Blackburn, who, despite not having his best stuff, allowed just one run (zero earned) over seven innings pitched. His lone blemish came in the top of the third when a bad pickoff throw would eventually lead to the game's first run. Blackburn allowed six hits and four walks, but struck out five and extended his streak of not giving up an earned run to 36.1 innings to start the season.
 
Down 1-0 in the bottom half of the third, the Pioneers knotted it at 1-1 on a triple from Brenden Wells and then a sacrifice fly from Matt Noel. The game would remain scoreless until the top of the eighth when the Panthers used a two-out double to make it 2-1.
 
With Malone still trailing 2-1 in the bottom of the ninth, Zach Mottice clubbed a leadoff double, just his second two-bagger of the season, to put himself in scoring position. After moving to third on a sacrifice bunt, Mottice scored on a passed ball to force extra innings.
 
Kentucky Wesleyan took advantage of a pair of singles in the top of the 11th before going ahead 4-2. The Pioneers, who had the game winning run on second base with one out in the 10th, put the potential tying run on in the bottom of the 11th, but back-to-back strikeouts ended the game.
 
Malone collected 14 hits in the contest, but left 13 runners on base. Nate Cobb and Keanan Locke recorded three singles apiece. Wells, Noel, and Mottice each posted two hits.
 
Game Two Recap
The Pioneers got on the board early with a two-out, two-run double off the bat of Matt Noel in the bottom of the first inning. The 2-0 score would hold for the next five before KWC tied it in the top of the seventh.
 
Making his first start since tossing a no-hitter last Saturday, Joshua Hurford (5-0) was masterful through his first six innings, allowing just three hits on 64 pitches (51 strikes). The junior righty, who was working on his third complete game shutout of the season and his second in a row, got in trouble with a single and a walk with one out in the top of the seventh. After inducing a flyout, Hurford walked another to load the bases with two outs in the frame.
 
Down to his last strike, Panther leadoff man Cody Bridges lined a clutch two-out double just inside the left field chalk to plate a pair of runs and tie the game up at 2-2. With runners on second and third, Hurford was able to close out the inning with a ground-ball out to shortstop Joe Crank.
 
In the bottom of the seventh, it would be Crank who came through with the clutch hit of his own. Representing the winning run, Zach Mottice singled to center with one out in the inning and later moved to second on a walk by Nate Cobb. Crank, who was mired in a 2-for-42 slump before his at bat, broke out in a big way, lacing a soft liner to shallow right center to score the speedy Mottice without a throw to the plate. The walkoff win was the first of its kind for the Pioneers this season.

Mottice had two hits to lead the Malone offense. Brenden Wells went 1-for-3 and extended his hitting streak to 18 straight.
 
Up Next
Malone and Kentucky Wesleyan will play a pair on Sunday, April 9th, starting at 12:00 pm.