The Malone University baseball team's Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) Championship run came to a sudden and disappointing end as the top-seeded Pioneers were knocked off by number two seed Ohio Dominican University by the final score of 9-5 in an elimination game early Thursday afternoon at Prasco Park in Mason, Ohio. The Pioneers led for the entire game until the top of the ninth inning when the Panthers plated five runs to turn a 5-4 deficit into a 9-5 advantage.
 
With the loss, Malone dropped to 33-18 on the season and will now be scoreboard watching for the rest of the weekend. Although diminished, the Pioneers still have hope of receiving an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament. Malone was seventh in the Midwest Region Rankings prior to the start of G-MAC Championship play. The top eight teams in the Region qualify for the National Tournament.
 
Recap
Back-to-back walks to lead off the bottom of the first inning led to two runs for the Pioneers as senior first baseman Austin White delivered an RBI single to get the scoring started before an ODU balk made it 2-0.
 
After the Panthers scored a run off of Pioneer starter Tommy Walker in the fourth, Malone scored twice in the bottom half of the frame. With runners on first and second and two outs in the inning, a shallow fly ball to left field from Zach Mottice was misplayed and dropped, allowing both runners to score.
 
Down 4-1, Ohio Dominican answered back in the fifth, getting both runs back and chasing Walker. Tyrus Jones came on in relief and would pitch the next three innings.
 
The Pioneers scored their final run of the game in the bottom of the sixth when Zach Mottice lined an RBI single into right field to make it a 5-3 contest in favor of Malone.
 
A pinch-hit solo homer to start the eighth brought the Panthers to within one. Malone then called upon Clay Cooper, who kept ODU at bay for the rest of the frame.
 
Clinging to a 5-4 lead entering the ninth inning, Cooper (3-3) returned to the mound hoping to get the final three outs and earn his 10th save of the season. The Panthers, and mother nature, had different ideas. A leadoff single, a downpour of rain, a walk, a constant stream of gusty winds, two doubles, and a two-run homer all in the span of six at-bats put Ohio Dominican ahead 9-5 and left Malone shell-shocked.
 
Down by four entering the last half of the ninth, Malone managed just an Austin White single before ODU closed out the victory. White accounted for three of the Pioneers' seven hits. Fellow senior Matt Noel singled and scored while Jacob Mottice singled and scored twice.
 
The NCAA Division II Selection Show is this Sunday night.