CANTON -- The Malone University baseball team and Ashland University concluded their weekend Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) series with a doubleheader at Thurman Munson Memorial Stadium on Sunday. 

The Pioneers (13-18, 4-10 G-MAC) won the first game 6-5 in walk-off fashion. The Eagles (18-10, 11-5 G-MAC) bounced back with a 5-1 win in game two to salvage the split. 

Game 1 Highlights
Nate Plack got an inning-ending 4-6-3 double play to keep Ashland off of the scoreboard in the first inning, and Malone's offense went right to work in the bottom half of the inning. 

With one out in the inning Cameron Martin was hit by a pitch. He scored all of the way from first base on Evan Balzano's double over the centerfielder's head. Balzano later scored on a Jake Aleman single to put the Pioneers ahead 2-0 early. 

Place continued to put zeros on the scoreboard in the second and third innings, but Ashland broke through in the fourth. 

The Eagles plated four runs on four hits to take the lead. 

In the bottom of the fifth inning Malone responded with three runs of their own to retake the lead. JT Tonelli, Cameron Martin, and JC Philippi each had a RBI in the inning to help put the Pioneers back out front 5-4. 

Ashland got their first two batters of the sixth inning on base, and Malone called on Bryce Layton out of the bullpen. The Eagles loaded the bases on a hit by pitch, and they were able to tie the game up on a sacrifice fly. 

Layton limited the damage there however, as another 4-6-3 double play ended the inning to keep the game tied at 5-5.

The game remained tied until the bottom of the seventh inning. 

Tyson Gingerich led off the seventh with a single. He stole second base, and an Ashland throwing error on the same play allowed him to advance to third base. 

With one out in the inning Evan Balzano was intentionally walked to set up the double play possibility. 

It looked like the Eagles got the ground ball that they needed, but JC Philippi's hustle down the line prevented the double play from being turned, and allowed Gingerich to score the game-winning run. 

Game 2 Highlights
The Pioneer bats were a bit quieter in the second game of the afternoon. MU was held scoreless for the first six innings. 

Ashland broke the scoreless tie with a solo home run in the top of the fourth. They went on to add two runs in the fifth, and two more in the seventh to move ahead 5-0. 

JT Tonelli came in to score on an AU error in the bottom of the seventh, but the Eagles closed out the game with a flyout to pick up the 5-1 win. 

PIONEER POINTS

• JT Tonelli was 3-5 at the plate in the doubleheader. His season batting average now stands at .316, putting him third on the team. 
• Jake Aleman, Tyson Gingerich, and Boston Black all each had multiple hits as well for Malone. 
• JC Philippi was the team's leading run producer on the afternoon with a pair of RBIs. His season total now stands at 20. 
• Bryce Layton pitched the final 2.2 innings in the first game. He allowed just two hits en route to the first win of his collegiate career. 
• Mitch Maurer was the game two starter. He finished the afternoon with a team-high four strikeouts.

WHAT'S NEXT?
Malone will host Walsh University on Tuesday night in a makeup game for last month's postponement due to inclement weather.

First pitch from Thurman Munson Memorial Stadium is set for 8:00 p.m.