OWENSBORO, Ky. -- The Malone University baseball team opened up a Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) series against Kentucky Wesleyan College on Friday.

The Panthers (13-21, 11-7 G-MAC) took game one 4-1, and then followed that up with a 13-6 win over the Pioneers (13-21, 4-13 G-MAC) to sweep the doubleheader. 

Game 1 Highlights
It was a true pitcher's duel in the early going with neither offense able to put together many scoring threats. 

Kentucky Wesleyan was the first to break through for some runs. They took the lead with a three-run home run in the bottom of the fourth. 

Tyson Gingerich picked up a RBI in the top of the seventh to get Malone on the scoreboard. Unfortunately that was the only run of the game for the Pioneers. 

The Panthers added an insurance tally on a sacrifice fly in the eighth inning, and then stranded two Malone runners on base in the ninth to take the series opener by a final score of 4-1.

Game 2 Highlights
KWC opened up the second game with a run in the bottom of the first. 

The Pioneers were able to tie the game up quickly however, when JT Tonelli and Isaac Stallard executed a double steal that allowed Stallard to score the game-tying run. 

Unfortunately the next seven runs of the game were scored by Kentucky Wesleyan. 

Malone countered with a pair of runs on JC Philippi's RBI single in the fifth, but the Panthers answered with three of their own in the fifth and two more in the sixth. 

The Pioneers rallied late in the top of the seventh. 

Cameron Martin led off the inning with a home run. JT Tonelli made it 13-5 on a single that scored Jake Aleman, and Eric Baum drove in Stallard on a base hit. 

The rally came up short however as KWC held on for the 13-6 win.

PIONEER POINTS

• JT Tonelli was 3-6 at the plate in the doubleheader with one RBI. His .330 batting average trails only Tyson Gingerich this season.
• JC Philippi's two RBIs moved his season total to 22, tied with Evan Balzano for second on the team. 
• Despite being handed the loss in the opener, Mitch Maurer battled on the mound to record a complete game. He struck out eight batters, and only three of the runs were earned.

WHAT'S NEXT?
The series will conclude with another doubleheader tomorrow afternoon. First pitch is slated for 1:00 p.m. EDT.