CEDARVILLE, Ohio -- This weekend the Malone University baseball team traveled to Cedarville University for a Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) series with the Yellow Jackets. 

Malone (11-15, 3-7 G-MAC) won the opening game and the series finale, but Cedarville (11-16, 5-6 G-MAC) took game two and three. 

Game 1 Highlights
The Pioneers set the tone early on by scoring four runs in the top of the first inning. Evan Balzano, JC Philippi, and JT Tonelli all had RBIs in the inning to put MU up 4-0. 

Those four runs would have been enough run support to get the job done for starting pitcher Michael Cook. The right hander turned in a complete game performance, and struck out five batters en route to his fourth win of the season. 

The Yellow Jackets did break through for two runs in their half of the fifth inning, but Malone got those runs right back. 

Balzano scored a run in the fifth, and then Cameron Martin doubled home Tyson Gingerich in the sixth to put the Pioneers back up 6-2. 

Cedarville scratched across another tally in the eighth, but Cook held them scoreless the rest of the way to finish off the 6-3 Malone win.

Game 2 Highlights
The host Yellow Jackets scored the first seven runs of the game unanswered. Cedarville plated three runs in the first, and then added four runs in the bottom of the fourth. 

The Pioneers best scoring opportunity came in the fifth inning when they loaded the bases. Cameron Martin came through with a sacrifice fly to score Evan Swan, but unfortunately that was Malone's only run of the game. 

CU kept the door shut the next two innings to pick up the 7-1 win. 

Game 3 Highlights
Cedarville's offense kept things rolling on Saturday morning. The Yellow Jackets plated two runs in the bottom of the first, and added three more to their total in the second. 

The Pioneers fought back late in the game to put together a big inning, but it was not enough to complete the comeback. 

Evan Swan, Tyson Gingerich, and JC Philippi all scored runs in the sixth inning, but CU was able to end Malone's rally there. 

Game 4 Highlights
The Pioneers opened up the scoring, but needed a couple of runs in the later innings to pull off the comeback win.

Cameron Martin put Malone up 1-0 with his sacrifice fly in the second inning. 

After the Yellow Jackets got that run back in the third, the Pioneers erupted for three runs in the top of the fourth inning. 

Cameron Martin, Boston Black, and Clayton Criss all scored runs in the inning to put MU ahead 4-1. 

Unfortunately Cedarville responded with a run in the fifth and three runs in the sixth to take a 5-4 lead.

In the eighth inning Malone came back with their answer that helped them get the win. 

Cameron Martin drew a walk, and later came around to score on a wild pitch to tie the game at 5-5. 

With two outs in the inning Andrew Hanna doubled into right center which allowed Black to score the go ahead run. 

Mitch Maurer retired the Jackets in order in both the eighth and ninth innings to finish off the 6-5 win. 

PIONEER POINTS

• Tyson Gingerich was 5-16 at the plate for a .313 average on the weekend. He continues to lead the team with .388 mark on the season. 
• Cameron Martin led the way in run production with four RBIs. His season total now stands at 19.
• As a team the Pioneers were 5-8 on stolen bases. Gingerich added three more to his season total of 20.
• Danny Miller and Michael Cook each had five strikeouts on the mound. 

WHAT'S NEXT?
Next week will already be the final non-conference game of the season for the Pioneers. 

Malone travels to NCAA Division I University of Akron on Tuesday. First pitch is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.