The Malone University baseball team split a doubleheader with Walsh University Saturday in North Canton to earn a three-game series victory over its rival. Following a 7-2 win in Friday's series opener, the Pioneers captured game one Saturday by a 6-4 final. The Pioneers then nearly completed an improbable comeback in the finale, but eventually fell 5-4 in 11 innings.
 
With just two weeks to go in the regular season, Malone is now 25-14 overall and 14-7 in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference after taking two out of three from Walsh. The Cavaliers, meanwhile, are 20-16 and 13-8 in the G-MAC, still one game behind Malone.
 
Game One Recap
Facing a 2-0 deficit in the top of the sixth, the Pioneers were in danger of being shut out after collecting just two base hits through the first five frames. A six-run inning, however, shifted momentum in their favor.
 
Following a walk and a single by Austin White, Matt Noel and Damian Maglione delivered back-to-back singles to the tie the game at 2-2. With two outs and the bases loaded later in the frame, a chopper off the bat of Nate Cobb was misplayed at first base allowing all three runs to score. An RBI double by Turner Hill over the centerfielder's head one batter later gave Malone a 6-2 advantage.
 
A highlight reel diving catch by Cobb kept the Cavaliers off the board in the sixth, but the home team scored twice with one out in the bottom of the seventh to cut it to 6-4. Walsh put runners on first and second and brought the game-winning run to the plate, but Pioneer closer Christian Specht retired G-MAC North Player of the Week Avery Janning via the ground ball to capture the rivalry victory.
 
Specht earned his fifth save of the season in support of starting pitcher Eric Mullet, who improved to 6-0 on the season. Mullet grinded out 6.1 innings, striking out three Cavs in the win. The Pioneers collected six hits, including doubles by Cobb and Hill. Joe Crank walked in all four plate appearances and scored a run.
 
Game Two Recap
Malone was held to just one hit over the first eight innings as the Cavalier staff held the Pioneer offense in check. Nate Cobb broke up the Cavaliers' combined no-hit bid with an infield single to lead off the sixth
 
The Cavalier offense, meanwhile, scored runs in the third, fourth, and fifth innings before crossing the plate for the fourth time in the bottom of the eighth. Malone starter Kyle Kovach struck out four over three innings, freshman Alex Widmer struck out three in two innings of relief, and Jordan Yoder worked a scoreless frame to keep the Pioneers within striking distance.
 
Trailing 4-0 in the top of the ninth, Malone manufactured four runs to tie it. Following a leadoff single by Turner Hill, another walk by Joe Crank, and a wild pitch, Austin White drove home the first run with sacrifice fly to center.
 
Still down 4-1, back-to-back walks loaded the bases for Damian Maglione. The junior third baseman came through with an RBI single to score the second run and put the tying run in scoring position. After a pop-out, Zach Mottice drew a bases loaded walk to bring Malone even closer at 4-3.

With two outs and the tying run on third, Nate Cobb followed with an infield ground ball, but the third baseman failed to tag the baserunner coming from second to third, allowing everyone to advance safely on the play. An inning-ending groundout left the score tied at 4-4.
 
Walsh put the game-winning run in scoring position in the bottom of the ninth, but Christian Specht induced an inning-ending groundout from Avery Janning to force extras. The Cavaliers would load the bases in the 11th, setting up another showdown between Specht (2-2) and Janning. After failing to come up with the big hit in game one and in the ninth inning of game two, Janning got the better of Specht in the third meeting, delivering a soft single to right center to give Walsh the 5-4 walk-off victory.
 
The Pioneers collected just three hits in the extra-inning affair, but reached base nine times via the walk. Facing a pitching staff that allowed the fewest walks per nine innings of any team in the G-MAC coming into the weekend, Malone collected 23 free passes over the 27 innings in the series.
 
Up Next
The Pioneers are scheduled to host Wheeling Jesuit on Tuesday, April 24th in a non-conference doubleheader at Jackson High School starting at 11:00 am.