The Malone University baseball team concluded a fruitful trip to Florida on Saturday by splitting a pair of games at the Chain of Lake Park in Winter Haven. The Pioneers saw their nine-game winning streak snapped in a 10-6 loss to Lewis University (IL) on Saturday morning, but they bounced back with a 6-2 triumph over West Virginia Wesleyan College in the afternoon.
 
Malone finished the trip with a 10-1 mark and will begin conference play next weekend with a 10-5 overall record.
 
Malone vs. Lewis Recap
A two-run double from Joe Crank and an RBI single by Andy Fletcher gave Malone a 3-0 lead over its Midwest Region opponent in the top of the first. The Flyers took advantage of four base hits in the bottom half of the inning, however, to knot it up at three runs apiece.
 
Malone went back in front in the third when Damian Maglione drove in Zach Mottice, who led off the frame with a single, on a sacrifice fly. Fletcher followed with a run-scoring single that plated Crank, who reached on his second double of the day earlier in the inning.
 
A pair of extra-base hits by the Flyers off of Malone starter Kyle Kovach (1-2) sparked a three-run bottom of the fourth as Lewis gained its first lead of the day. The Flyers made it an 8-5 game with two more runs in the bottom of the fifth.
 
An RBI double by Nate Cobb in the top of the sixth cut the Malone deficit to 8-6, but the Pioneers were shutout over their final three at-bats. Lewis added a pair of unearned runs during the bottom of the sixth before eventually securing the 10-6 victory.
 
Joe Crank finished the game with a career-high four hits, including a career-high three doubles, along with two runs and two RBI. Mottice, Fletcher, and Matt Noel each contributed a pair of base knocks.
 
Malone vs. West Virginia Wesleyan Recap
After spotting the Bobcats a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first, Malone came through with five tallies in the top of the second. Tom Eslich, Turner Hill, and Todd Ropp each drove in a run on RBI singles in the inning while Joe Crank plated two with his second double of the game and his fifth of the afternoon.
 
While Pioneer freshman starting pitcher Clay Cooper was cruising through scoreless frame after scoreless frame, Malone scored its sixth run on a WVWC error in the top of the fifth. Cooper (2-1) gave up just three hits over six innings, walking none, and striking out four as he picked up his second win in as many collegiate starts.
 
The Bobcats added a run in the bottom of the eighth and threatened for more by loading the bases, but sophomore reliever Tommy Walker got out of the inning with a harmless fly ball. Walker then worked a scoreless bottom of the ninth to give the Pioneers their 10th win of the spring.
 
Joe Crank delivered yet another double in the top of the sixth as he equaled his performance from game one. The junior shortstop finished with six doubles on the afternoon, matching his total for the entire 2017 season. Overall on Saturday, Crank finished 7-for-10 with four RBI and three runs scored.