PARKERSBURG, W.Va. -- The month of May for the Malone University baseball program began with a doubleheader sweep of the Ohio Valley University Fighting Scots.

A pitching gem from southpaw Clay Cooper, combined with a pair of late two-run homeruns gave Malone (17-17, 11-15 G-MAC) a 4-1 win in game one.

The Pioneers held the Scots (5-29, 3-23 G-MAC) to just one run once again in the second game in another 4-1 victory. 

Game 1 Highlights
Clay Cooper had the Fighting Scots guessing in the batter's box early on. A fly-out double play got the Pioneers out of trouble in the top of the first, and then Cooper followed that up with two strikeouts in the second. 

Ohio Valley was able to manufacture a run in the bottom of the third on a RBI single, but that would prove to be their lone score of the game. 

Offensively the Pioneers threatened a few different times, but it was not until the eighth inning that Malone finally broke through. 

Tyson Gingerich led off the inning with an infield single on a pure hustle play. In the very next at bat Joe Crank crushed a pitch over the right field fence to put the Pioneers up 2-1.

OVU went to the bullpen, and Jake Aleman immediately drew a walk. The sacrifice bunt that put Aleman into scoring position never really came into play as the next batter, Joe Watts, sent a pitch out of the park for Malone's second two-run shot of the game. 

After a leadoff walk in the bottom of the eighth Cooper struck out the side for his eighth, ninth and tenth punch-outs of the game. 

Danny Miller entered from the bullpen in the ninth, and worked around a two-out single to finish off the 4-1 win for his team-leading third save of the season. 


Game 2 Highlights
The Pioneers jumped out to an early 1-0 lead after Gingerich led off the game with a triple, and came in to score on a RBI groundout from Crank. 

Clyde Yoder surrendered the tying run in the bottom half of the inning, but was then nearly unhittable for the remainder of his outing. He struck out seven batters over the next five innings to help keep OVU in check. 

Crank broke the 1-1 tie in the top of fifth with a single to score Andrew Hanna. JC Philippi added an insurance run on a solo homerun in the sixth, and Watts came through with a RBI double in the sixth to give Malone a 4-1 advantage. 

Miller was called on once again to pitch the seventh, this time with a pair of runners on base and the tying run in the batter's box. He struck out the first batter he faced, and then induced a game-ending double-play to secure his fourth save. 


PIONEER POINTS

• Clyde Yoder picked up his fifth win of the season, and for Cooper it was his fourth. Both players have yet to suffer a pitching loss this season.

• With four RBIs on the day, two in each game, Joe Crank now leads the Pioneers with 22 this season.

• Today's sweep evens up Malone's record at 17-17 this season. It is also brings Head Coach Tom Crank into a tie with the legendary Bob Starcher at 521 career coaching wins. He needs just one more win to become the all-time winningest coach in Malone baseball history.

WHAT'S NEXT?
The Pioneers and Fighting Scots return to Bennett Stump Field at the Parkersburg City Park tomorrow afternoon to wrap up their series with another doubleheader. First pitch in game one is slated for 1:00 p.m.