The Malone University baseball team got off to a slow start to the 2018 season on Friday, losing twice to the University of Illinois Springfield at the Perfect Game Park at LakePoint in Emerson, Georgia. The Pioneers dropped their 9-inning season opener 7-1 before suffering a 6-5 extra-inning, walkoff loss to the Prairie Stars in the nightcap.
 
Game One Recap
Honorable Mention All-American Roscoe Blackburn, who gave up just four earned runs during the regular season last spring, was touched up for three runs in the bottom of the second inning before Malone made it a 3-1 game in the top of the fourth when senior first baseman Todd Ropp clubbed a run-scoring double to left.
 
All-American shortstop Cole Taylor then delivered a three-run homerun in the UIS half of the fourth to put the Prairie Stars up 6-1. Taylor's homer was the first given up by Blackburn (0-1) since 2016.
 
Malone managed just three baserunners over the final five innings while UIS tacked on their final run in the bottom of the seventh.
 
Ropp, Joe Crank, who scored on Ropp's double, and Matt Noel accounted for Malone's only hits in the game. Senior reliever Cody Ballay pitched a scoreless bottom of the eighth, striking out a pair. Sophomore righty Tommy Walker allowed one run over two-and-a-third.
 
Game Two Recap
After collecting just three hits in game one, the Pioneer offense produced five base knocks in the top of the first inning of game two. A leadoff walk from Nate Cobb and a bunt single from Zach Mottice preceded an RBI single from Joe Crank that put Malone on the board. Back-to-back singles from Todd Ropp and Austin White plated two more Pioneers.
 
Working with three runs of support before he even took the field, Malone starter Joshua Hurford cruised through four no-hit innings, facing just one over the minimum. The Pioneers tacked on a run in the top of the second when freshman leftfielder Jacob Mottice, who earned his first collegiate hit earlier in the inning, scored on a Prairie Star throwing error.
 
Still leading 4-0 in the bottom of the fifth, Hurford lost the no-hit bid with one out in the frame. He lost the shutout a few batters later when the younger Mottice came up just short on a diving catch attempt in left. Hurford would earn a no-decision in the game, but surrendered just one run on two hits over five innings.
 
Malone went to the bullpen in the bottom of the sixth, looking for two clean innings in what was originally scheduled to be a seven-inning game. Illinois Springfield, which led the Midwest Region in runs per game last season, broke through for four to take the lead. First baseman Michael Rothmund, who led Division II with 24 homeruns last season, cut the deficit to 4-3 with a two-run shot before a two-run single later in the inning gave UIS a 5-4 advantage.
 
Down to their last at-bat in the top of the seventh, the Pioneers manufactured the tying run. Jacob Mottice reached via a leadoff walk, advanced to second on a sac bunt, and moved to third on a swinging-bunt infield single from Zach Mottice. Joe Crank then lifted a deep sacrifice fly to left to chase home the younger Mottice and tie the game at 5-5.
 
Neither team would score until the bottom of the ninth when UIS packed the bags full with just one out. Jack Schaaf's single off of Malone reliever Christian Specht (0-1) drove in the game-winning run and completed the doubleheader sweep. Specht, who pitched  the Pioneers out of a jam in the bottom of the sixth, struck out three in 3.0 innings.
 
The Malone offense piled up nine hits in the loss, all of them singles. Zach Mottice finished with two singles and a stolen base while Jacob Mottice recorded two hits and scored twice. Damian Maglione added a pair of singles.
 
Up Next
The Pioneers will play another twinbill with Prairie Stars on Saturday beginning at 11:00 am.