The Malone University baseball team pounded out 22 base hits, the most in a game since 2008, in a wild 17-14 nine-inning, non-conference victory at Tiffin University Wednesday afternoon. The Pioneers overcame an early four-run deficit to score 15 runs over a four-inning stretch and earn the seventh win in their last eight games.
 
With the victory in a contest that lasted nearly four hours and 40 minutes and finished with a final score that resembled that of a football game, Malone improved to 22-10 on the season and 13-9 in the Midwest Region. The Pioneers hit .444 (8-for-18) with two outs, .500 (15-for-30) with runners on base, and .550 (11-for-20) with runners in scoring position. Eleven different Pioneers recorded at least one base hit and nine collected at least one RBI.
 
Recap
Junior shortstop Joe Crank got things started with a solo homerun, the first of the season and the third of his career, with two outs in the top of the first. Tiffin answered with a tally in the bottom half of the inning before plating four runs in the bottom of the second to take a 5-1 lead.
 
A solo blast by Nate Cobb, his third of the season, over the short porch in right cut the deficit to 5-2 in the top of the third before the Dragons got the run back in the bottom of the fourth.
 
Trailing 6-2 in the top of the fifth, the Pioneers batted around on their way to six runs and an 8-6 lead. Turner Hill, Austin White, Todd Ropp and Matt Noel all provided RBI base hits in the frame while a wild pitch and a Tiffin fielding error led to the other two runs.
 
The Dragons went back in front, 9-8, with three runs in the bottom of the fifth, taking advantage of back-to-back homers with two outs in the innings.
 
Malone regained the lead for good in the top of the sixth, going ahead on RBI singles from Damian Maglione and Andy Fletcher. After holding Tiffin scoreless in the bottom of the sixth, Malone scored five more times in the top of the seventh. Turner Hill belted a two-run shot, the second homerun of his freshman season, to make it a 12-9 ball game before an RBI double by Maglione and a pinch-hit, two-run double by Jacob Mottice gave the Pioneers a 15-9 edge.
 
The Dragons refused to go away, though, cutting the lead in half with three runs in the bottom of the seventh. In the top of the eighth. Todd Ropp put Malone back up by five with a two-out, two-run double.
 
Still trailing 17-12 entering the bottom of the ninth, Tiffin's John Heckman clubbed a two-run homer to trim the margin to 17-14. Following a single and a walk, the Dragons brought the tying run to the plate with just one out in the inning, but Pioneer reliever Christian Specht forced a flyout to center and a ground ball to third to the end the threat and seal the marathon victory.
 
Among the 14 different pitchers used by both teams, Specht, who earned his third save of the season, was the only one to not allow a run. Tiffin totaled 18 hits in the game as Heckman registered a game-high six RBI.
 
Ropp, Fletcher, and White led Malone with three hits apiece while Cobb, Hill, Crank, Maglione, and Zach Mottice each finished with two. Clay Wisner collected a double in his only at bat. Cobb scored a career-high four runs in the contest while Ropp, Hill, and Crank each scored three times.
 
Up Next
Malone will host NCAA DII #15 Ohio Dominican in a three-game weekend series at Munson Stadium beginning with a doubleheader on Friday, April 13th at 11:00 am.