Senior aces Roscoe Blackburn and Joshua Hurford delivered back-to-back complete game shutouts on Friday as the Pioneers picked up 4-0 and 1-0 wins over Alderson Broaddus University in a Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) doubleheader at Massillon Jackson High School. The pair held the Battlers to three combined hits over 16 shutouts innings to help Malone improve to 17-9 on the season and 7-3 in G-MAC play.
 
Game One Recap
Batting first as the visiting team on their own turf, Malone grabbed an early advantage in the top of the second. After leaving a man on third with no outs in the first, the Pioneers were able to chase home a run in the second when Todd Ropp scored on a bases-loaded double play ball. Although the Pioneers would score three runs later in the contest, the second-inning run was all they needed as Roscoe Blackburn (5-1) was masterful in the mound victory.
 
Blackburn, backed by some tremendous defense, surrendered just two hits and two walks in the nine-inning complete game. In the bottom of the first, AB put the leadoff man on with a single but he was promptly retired on a Blackburn pickoff. Following a walk to the second batter, Blackburn retired the next 17 batters in order.
 
A leadoff single by the Battlers in the bottom of the seventh was eventually erased on a double play. Blackburn later allowed a two-out walk in the eighth, but struck out the next batter, one of four strikeouts for the lefthander, to eliminate any threat of a comeback. Blackburn then worked a 1-2-3 ninth to finish off the shutout.
 
Malone scored twice in the top of the seventh and once more in the eighth to account for the rest of the scoring. Two AB errors led to the first run in the seventh before Turner Hill's RBI single through a drawn-in infield plated the second. Another Battler throwing error in the eighth allowed Damian Maglione, who doubled a pitch earlier, to score the fourth and final run.
 
Maglione, Ropp, and Matt Noel each had two hits in the game. Joe Crank added a double.
 
Game Two Recap
364 days after throwing a seven-inning no-hitter against the Battlers last April 1st, Joshua Hurford nearly out-did himself against the Battlers in 2018. Hurford (3-1) was exceptional, retiring the first 17 batters he faced in order and carrying a perfect game with two outs in the bottom of the sixth.
 
After going five and two-thirds without allowing a baserunner, he lost the perfect game and the no-hit bid on a clean single by AB's Todd Sekowski. Following a walk, Hurford got out of the sixth unscathed thanks to a running catch by Nate Cobb in centerfield to end the inning. Hurford needed just six pitches to retire the side in the bottom of the seventh, ending the game fittingly on a swinging strikeout.
 
In total, Hurford collected seven strikeouts while throwing just 79 pitches in his third shutout of the season. In the process, the senior sidewinder lowered his league-leading ERA to 0.47 on the season.
 
Alderson Broaddus starter Aidan Massad was the tough-luck loser in game two, giving up just three hits over six innings pitched. The Pioneers scored the only run of the game on two Battler errors in the top of the third.
 
Freshman Jacob Mottice collected two of the Pioneers' three hits.

Up Next
Malone is slated to host Davis & Elkins in a conference doubleheader on Saturday at Jackson beginning at 11:00 am.