CANTON, Ohio – After winning three of four Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) games last weekend, the Malone softball team travels to Vienna, West Virginia for a midweek conference doubleheader against the Ohio Valley University Fighting Scots.
 
GAME INFORMATION:
Malone Pioneers (10-5-1, 4-4 G-MAC) @ Ohio Valley Fighting Scots (0-8, 0-4 G-MAC)
Jackson Field – Vienna, WV (3/5 DH)
Live Stats: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/ohiovalley/
 
SOFTBALL SERIES HISTORY:
Malone is 16-4 all-time against the Fighting Scots. The teams split the most recent season series in 2019 with one win apiece.
 
MALONE PIONEERS TEAM NOTES:
Schedule | Roster | Statistics
 
Malone has won four of their last five games and improved their record to 10-5-1 overall and 4-4 in conference play. The Pioneers have scored nine or more runs in three of those five outings. Malone has jumped out to early leads in game one with strong hitting performances, but in the second contest of a doubleheader, the bats have seemed to go quiet.
 
Lexi Betz was a big part of the success last weekend versus Tiffin and Findlay by going 5-for-13 in the batter's box with one double, two homeruns, nine RBIs and three runs scored. Betz has the conference lead with 24 RBIs on the season.
 
Kelsey Byers' performances as a pitcher have also been critical to the success of the Pioneers this season. Byers pitched all 26 innings last weekend and went 3-1 with 28 strikeouts and only one walk. Byers leads the NCAA DII with a 24.5 strikeout to walk ratio. In game one against Findlay, Byers threw a two-hit shutout in the five inning 10-0 victory.
 
Other big contributors in hitting for the Pioneers included Bailey Byers, Lauren Bennett and Mikayla Kesel. Byers was 7-for-12 with one homerun, two doubles, three walks, four RBIs and five runs scored against Tiffin and Findlay. Bennett had one of her best hitting performances of the season in game one against Findlay when she went 3-for-3 with two doubles, two RBIs and two runs scored. Kesel has recorded a hit in six consecutive games, tied with Bailey Byers for the longest active hit streak on the team.
 
OHIO VALLEY FIGHTING SCOTS TEAM NOTES:
Schedule | Roster | Statistics
 
Ohio Valley is still looking for their first win of the 2021 season after dropping their first eight. All of those games were on the road, however, and this will be the first games at home for the Fighting Scots after a home doubleheader against Wheeling was postponed.
 
Most recently, Ohio Valley was shut out by the league-leading Trevecca Nazarene Trojans 8-0 and 10-0 in Nashville, Tennessee. The Fighting Scots are 12th in team batting and team earned run average in the G-MAC.
 
Ashley Cooper leads the offense for Ohio Valley with a .316 batting average. Destinee Urea has three extra base hits, including two triples.
 
Alyssa Gates and Bailey Garcia have split the pitching duties for the Fighting Scots. Gates has thrown a team-high 25 innings, while Garcia has tossed 17.1 frames.