MASON, Ohio -- Thursday afternoon the Malone University Pioneers took on the Tiffin University Dragons in an elimination game at the 2021 Great Midwest Baseball Championship Tournament. 

The Dragons (26-15) jumped out to an early lead with a three-run home run in the second inning, and were able to keep the Pioneers (20-22) hitters off balance for most of the afternoon en route to a 7-1 win.

Game Highlights
After the Pioneers went down in order in the top of the first, Great Midwest Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Year Clay Cooper toed the rubber for the Pioneers.

He countered with a three up-three down inning of his own. After striking out the leadoff batter, he got an inning ending 6-4-3 double play to keep the game scoreless. 

A leadoff walk, and ensuing stolen base by Joe Watts, gave Malone a scoring opportunity in the second inning. Unfortunately the offense could not capitalize. 

Tiffin used a three-run home run in the bottom half of the inning to open up a 3-0 lead. The Dragons then added two more runs to their total in the bottom of the third to move ahead 5-0.

Malone's offense answered back with a run of their own in the top of the fourth. Jake Aleman, who was named to the All-G-MAC Third Team yesterday, led off the inning with a double. He was brought home later in the inning by a two-out single off the bat of Bryan Yoder to cut the Tiffin lead down to 5-1.

The Dragons broke through again in the bottom of the fifth. After the lead-off batter was hit by a pitch, he came around to score later in the inning on a sacrifice fly to make it 6-1. Three singles in the sixth inning then allowed TU to push their lead out to 7-1.

Another single from Yoder gave the Pioneers a base runner in the top of the seventh, but a double play killed the rally. 

Tommy Walker, who had entered from the bullpen in the fifth inning, worked out of a jam in the bottom of the seventh to keep it a 7-1 game. Unfortunately Tiffin's pitcher, All-G-MAC First Team member Michael Boswell, continued to stymie the Malone bats down the stretch. 

Senior Steven Tome got a pinch-hit single in the top of the ninth, but the Dragons were able to end the scoring threat and eliminate the Pioneers from the tournament by a final score of 7-1.


PIONEER POINTS

• Bryan Yoder led Malone's offense with two hits on the afternoon. He finished 2-3 with the team's only RBI. 

• Jake Aleman had the only extra-base hit for Malone. A leadoff double to kickstart the team's scoring opportunity in the fourth inning.

• Relief pitchers James Kontur and Tyrus Jones combined to throw a scoreless bottom of the eighth inning. Jones struck out the only batter that he faced.