MASON, Ohio -- For the second time this season the Malone University baseball program played on Legacy Field at the Prasco Park facility.

Today the Pioneers took on the West Virginia State Yellow Jackets in their final non-conference test before the schedule shifts to Great Midwest Athletic Conference play this weekend.

The Yellow Jackets (3-3) took game one of the doubleheader 6-4, but the Pioneers (5-2) rallied back late to win game two 4-3. 

Game 1 Highlights
West Virginia State got on the board early with three runs in the top of the 1st inning. However, Malone countered with three runs of their own in the bottom half.

Joe Watts hit a RBI single to score Jake Aleman, and Evan Balzano laced a two-RBI double into the left center gap to tie the game at 3-3.

The Yellow Jackets pushed across two more runs in the 2nd, and their pitching staff kept the Pioneer hitters off balance for much of the rest of the game. 

Malone did get one more run in the 4th when WVSU was called for a balk with the bases loaded, but the Yellow Jackets got that run back with a solo homerun in the top of the 7th inning.

On the mound for the Pioneers Danny Miller pitched five strong innings in relief. He struck out four batters, scattered four hits, and allowed just one earned run.

Game 2 Highlights
In the second game of the doubleheader WVSU's offense again started strong, plating a run in the top of the 1st. 

Malone quickly responded though as Joe Crank notched a RBI in the bottom half of the inning on a sacrifice fly. 

In the 2nd inning the Jackets made it 2-1 on a wild pitch, but Tyson Gingerich's two-out, two-RBI double gave the Pioneers a 3-2 advantage. 

WVSU tied the game back up at 3-3 in the 3rd, and the team's settled in to a bit of a pitcher's duel. 

For the Pioneers, Chase Jessee made the first appearance of the season on the mound. He wound up throwing a complete game to earn the win. His final line included six strikeouts, and just the three earned runs. 

With the game tied at 3-3 in the 6th inning, the Malone offense was able to push across the go-ahead run. 

Balzano reached base on a one-out walk. One batter later, Stone King drilled a ball over the left fielder's head for a RBI triple to put the Pioneers up 4-3. 

Jessee worked around a two-out walk in the top of the 7th to retire the side and secure the 4-3 win for the Pioneers.

PIONEER POINTS

• In the first game Joe Watts had two of the team's four hits. He also notched a RBI and scored a run for Malone.

• Evan Balzano had the two RBIs in game one, and he is now tied with Joe Crank for the team lead with six so far this season. 

• Andrew Hanna swiped three bases in game one. As a team the Pioneers were 6-6 on stolen base attempts on the day, and they are now 24-26 on the season.

• Pioneer pitchers combined to strikeout 12 batters in the doubleheader. Malone has now totaled five or more strikeouts in all but one game this year. They have punched out a total of 46 batters on the season.

WHAT'S NEXT?
The Pioneers will open up G-MAC play this weekend. Malone travels to the University of Findlay for a four-game series. The series begins with a doubleheader on Saturday. First-pitch is set for 1:00 p.m.