The Malone University baseball team stretched its win streak to five games on Monday with a doubleheader sweep of the University of Mary (ND) at the Lake Myrtle Sports Complex in Auburndale, Florida. The Pioneers picked up a 5-2 win over the Marauders in the opener before hanging on for a 5-4 win the nightcap. With the two victories, Malone improved to 5-4 on the season, including a perfect 5-0 mark during its spring break trip to the Sunshine State.
 
Game One Recap
The Pioneers grabbed a 2-0 lead in the top of the first without the benefit of a base hit. Following a hit-by-pitch and two walks, Damian Maglione laid down a suicide squeeze bunt that scored sophomore speedsters Nate Cobb and Zach Mottice, who was running from second on the play. Three pitches later, Andy Fletcher doubled down the left field line to give Malone a 3-0 lead.
 
The Pioneers would maintain their three-run lead until the top of the fourth when the Marauders took advantage of four singles off of Pioneer starter Kyle Kovach (1-1) and cut the lead to 3-2. Kovach worked through some early control problems on Monday as he finished with four Ks over four innings pitched.
 
Malone made it a 4-2 game in the bottom of the fourth when Jacob Mottice stole second base and came all the way around to score on a throwing error by the catcher. Malone added another run in the bottom of the fifth when Zach Mottice, who led off the frame with a single, scored on an RBI groundout by Matt Noel.
 
Sophomore reliever Christian Specht earned his first collegiate save after pitching three scoreless innings. He surrendered just one hit while striking out two. Fletcher collected two of Malone's five hits.
 
Game Two Recap
Malone struck first in the top of the first, taking a 1-0 lead on another Mary throwing error. The Pioneers added two more runs in the top of the fourth on a two-run single from Andy Fletcher.
 
In the top of the fifth, Malone went up 4-0 on a solo homerun by freshman Turner Hill, the first hit in his collegiate career.
 
After leading off the top of sixth with a double, Matt Noel scored the Pioneers' fifth run on another RBI single from Fletcher.
 
Freshman lefthander Clay Cooper, making his first collegiate start, allowed just one hit through five scoreless innings before running into some trouble in the bottom of the sixth. All four Mary runs came across in the inning, chasing Cooper after five-and-a-third. He finished with four strikeouts in the promising outing.
 
The Pioneer left the bases loaded in the top of the seventh, but a perfect 1-2-3 inning from freshman reliever James Kontur preserved the 5-4 victory. Kontur struck out one as he recorded his first collegiate save.
 
Fletcher finished with two hits and three RBI to lead the Malone offense while Nate Cobb added two hits and a stolen base.
 
Up Next
The Pioneers will be off until Wednesday when they take on West Virginia Wesleyan at 9:00 am