NORTH CANTON, Ohio -- The Malone University baseball program made the short trip across town on Friday to open a four-game series with rival Walsh University.
Unfortunately for the Pioneers (19-19, 13-17), the Cavaliers (25-11, 21-9) came out on top in both games. Walsh came from behind twice, taking game one 15-6. They completed the doubleheader sweep with an 11-6 win in game two.
Game 1 Highlights
Malone came into the weekend winners in eight of their last nine games, and early on it looked the Pioneers would make it nine of ten.
MU quickly loaded the bases in the top of the first, with the first three batters reaching base safely. Cleanup man
Bryan Yoder was hit by a pitch which allowed
Tyson Gingerich to come home for the game's first run.
Joe Watts also came through with a sacrifice fly to score
Joe Crank, and give the Pioneers an early 2-0 lead.
Clay Cooper was sharp early on. Aided by two strikeouts, he was able to keep the Cavaliers off of the scoreboard for the first two innings.
Crank led off the top of the third inning with a solo homerun, his fourth round tripper of the season, to put Malone up 3-0. However Walsh answered back with a solo shot of their own in the bottom half of the inning to make it 3-1.
Cooper struck out two more batters in the fourth, and the Pioneers got him another insurance run in the fifth.
Gingerich hit a one-out double, and
Jake Aleman followed with a double of his own to put Malone on top 4-1.
The Cavaliers pulled to within one run on a two-run homer in the bottom of the fifth, but Cooper was able to get out of the inning without further damage. He then retired the side in order in the sixth inning to keep it at a 4-3 game.
Unfortunately when Malone went to the bullpen to begin the bottom of the seventh inning the Cavalier bats really woke up.
Walsh scored 11 runs on 8 hits in the bottom of the seventh to take a 14-4 lead. They added another run in the bottom of the eighth to push their advantage out to 15-4.
Malone continued to fight however, as Crank came through with a two-RBI double in the top of ninth, but the huge seventh inning by Walsh was too much to overcome. The Cavaliers took game one 15-6.
Game 2 Highlights
The late runs in game one seemed to give the Pioneers a bit of momentum to start the second game.
In the top of the first Aleman came through with a RBI single to score Crank. Watts followed with a two-run homerun to give Malone an early 3-0 lead.
The Cavaliers responded with two runs of their own in the bottom half of the inning. Walsh then tied the game with a RBI single in the third.
Clyde Yoder worked around a leadoff single in the fourth, getting an inning-ending double play to keep things tied at 3-3.
To the Pioneers detriment, patience at the plate by Walsh in the fifth inning helped the Cavaliers break the game open. After Walsh loaded the bases on three straight walks, they went on to score five runs to take an 8-3 lead.
The Cavaliers tacked on three more runs in the sixth to seemingly put the game out of reach.
Much like game one though, Malone did not go quietly. With two outs in the top of the seventh Crank smoked his eighth double of the season. Aleman followed with a RBI single, and Watts crushed his second two-run homerun of the game.
Still, the two big innings by Walsh were too much to overcome as the Cavaliers swept the doubleheader with an 11-6 win.
PIONEER POINTS
WHAT'S NEXT?
The two teams return to Biery Stadium tomorrow to wrap up the series with another doubleheader. First pitch is set for 1:00 p.m.
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