CANTON, Ohio – The Malone University softball team squares off with Carlow University on Tuesday afternoon in a non-conference doubleheader. The games will serve as prep for Malone's big Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) matchup this weekend against rival Walsh University.
 
GAME INFORMATION:
Malone Pioneers (17-8-1, 11-7 G-MAC) vs Carlow Celtics (6-14-1, 4-6 River States Conference)
Pioneer Softball Field – Canton, Ohio (3/5 DH)
Live Video/Stats: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/malone/
 
SOFTBALL SERIES HISTORY:
The Pioneers are 7-5 all-time versus Carlow. The teams last played 10 years ago, when both were members of the NAIA American Mideast Conference.
 
MALONE PIONEERS TEAM NOTES:
Schedule | Roster | Statistics
 
The Pioneers were 3-1 last weekend with a sweep of Ursuline College and one out of two against Lake Erie College. Currently, Malone sits fourth in the conference standings with an 11-7 record in the G-MAC. This will be the second non-conference series at home for the Pioneers in 2021, with the other coming in the season opener against Rochester University.
 
As a team, Malone slugged 12 homeruns last week and put them over the mark for the most team homeruns in a season with 27. The previous record of 23 longballs came in 2019. The Pioneers are on-pace to break the single season team record for batting average and slugging percentage as well.
 
Bailey Byers and Lexi Betz did heavy damage offensively last week. Byers was 15-for-21 overall, with three doubles, one triple, six homeruns, four walks, 13 RBIs and 12 runs scored. She has recorded six straight multi-hit games with a run driven in in all six as well as a run scored in five of the six. Betz was 10-for-23 for the week with two doubles, five homeruns, one walk, 10 RBIs and nine runs. Betz is riding a 12-game hitting streak and drove in a run and scored in all six games one week ago.
 
April Howser continues to ride her on-base streak, which now stands at 21 games. Howser has brought her batting average up to .370 in 2021, good for 12th in the league. Howser got multiple hits in both games versus Lake Erie. Following Betz in the lineup, Howser has done a good job keeping the order moving in the cleanup spot.
 
CARLOW CELTICS TEAM NOTES:
Schedule | Roster | Statistics
 
It will be 10 days since the last time the 6-14-1 Carlow Celtics played a softball game. Carlow struggles on the road, going just 1-11-1 in unfamiliar territory this season.
 
The Celtics have played a common opponent in Rio Grande where they dropped both games of a doubleheader. The Pioneers split with Rio Grande in the opening week of the season in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
 
Carlow bats .276 as a team, with Alysa Fairman leading the way with a .442 average. Madison and McKenna Lampe both are plus-hitters and wreak havoc on the basepaths, with a combined 21-for-23 on stolen bases.
 
Clara Niglio has the most innings pitched (42.0 IP) for Carlow and the lowest ERA (2.67).