The Malone University baseball team suffered a pair of two-run setbacks against rival Walsh University Tuesday afternoon in North Canton as the Cavaliers avenged a doubleheader sweep by Malone four weeks ago.
After dropping a 3-1 decision in the seven-inning opener, the Pioneers clubbed a season-high four homeruns, the most in a game in the last three years, in a 14-12 loss in the finale. Malone overcame a seven-run deficit in the contest, but ultimately fell on a walk-off two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth.
With the losses, Malone dropped to 31-15 on the year and 20-8 in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference. With the wins, Walsh improved to 23-17 overall and 16-8 in the G-MAC. While the Cavs made up two games in the conference standings, Malone remains in first place and has clinched a berth in the G-MAC Postseason Tournament.
Game One Recap
Malone scored its only run of the game in the top of the second inning on a first-and-third double steal attempt. Following a single by
Josh Haygood which moved
Jacob Mottice to third, Haygood stayed alive just long enough on the basepaths to allow Mottice to take home.
Walsh tied it at 1-1 with a solo homerun in the third and then plated two on a two-out, two-run double in the bottom of the fifth. Outside of those two blemishes, Pioneer starter
Clyde Yoder (7-2) pitched well, but ultimately took the loss. The redshirt-sophomore righty struck out three in defeat.
Walsh's hard-throwing righthander Nick Barkdull (2-3) allowed just four hits and one unearned run while striking out nine in a seven-inning complete game victory.
Turner Hill singled twice for the Pioneers and
Tyson Gingerich added a double.
Game Two Recap
A two-out RBI double by senior catcher
Matt Noel gave Malone a 1-0 lead in the top of the first, but Walsh answered with four unearned runs over the next two innings.
In the fourth, Malone made it a 4-2 game with a sacrifice fly off of the bat of
Clay Wisner, however, the Cavaliers followed with five runs on five hits, leaving the Pioneers down by seven runs
Facing a 9-2 deficit, Malone swiped six of those runs back, taking advantage of the short fences at Biery Stadium, with three homers in the top of the fifth. Junior second baseman
Zach Mottice led off the inning with a solo blast into the trees in right field for just the second homerun of his career.
Later in the frame,
Josh Haygood drilled a three-run bomb the opposite way to bring the score to 9-6. After a pitching change and a Pioneer single,
Clay Wisner followed suit with a loud two-run shot over the fence in left, which narrowed the margin to 9-8.
In the bottom half of the inning, the Cavs smashed their own two-run homer to make it 11-8. Both teams then scored in the seventh, beginning with a two-out RBI double by
Tyson Gingerich over a drawn-in outfield. Walsh responded with a solo homer to stretch the lead to 12-9.
In the top of the eighth, senior first baseman
Austin White tied the game and gave Malone new life with a no-doubter over the left field wall. The three-run homer was White's first of the season and the fifth of his career.
The Cavaliers came up empty in the bottom of the eighth before the Pioneers went down in order in the top of the ninth. With one out in the bottom half of the inning, Pioneer reliever
Clay Cooper (3-2) surrendered a hit-by-pitch, bringing up Walsh first baseman Andrew Czech, the G-MAC's top slugger, with the chance to play spoiler. Czech, who homered in game one and drew three intentional walks throughout the twinbill, won the lefty-on-lefty matchup with a walk-off, two run missile deep into the centerfield trees.
Malone finished with 12 runs on 15 hits, the most in its last 16 games. Six different Pioneers scored two runs and five collected at least two hits.
Clay Wisner went a perfect 4-for-4, setting a career-high in hits, including a double and his second homer of the season. He also scored twice and tallied a career-high three RBI.
Josh Haygood and
Austin White each collected two hits, two runs, and three RBI while
Matt Noel recorded two hits and two runs.
Cade Mottice added two singles while
Zach Mottice and
Turner Hill each registered two walks, a single, and two runs scored.
Up Next
The Pioneers will be off this weekend before traveling to Kentucky Wesleyan next weekend for their final four games. The G-MAC Championship begins the following Wednesday, May 8th at Prasco Park in Mason, Ohio.
