Akron, Ohio -- On Tuesday, the Malone University baseball team took the field for their final non-conference game of the 2022 regular season. 

The Pioneers made the short drive to the University of Akron for a midweek game against the NCAA Division I Zips. 

Malone (12-15, 3-7 G-MAC) fell behind the Zips (8-19, 6-10 MAC) early on, but went on to score 13 runs in the 13-12 comeback win. 

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
A RBI double by Clayton Criss opened up the scoring in the top of the second inning. 

The Zips answered right back however. Akron scored four runs on five hits in the bottom half of the inning.

UA added another run to their lead in the fourth to move ahead 5-1. 

The Pioneers got right back into the game in the top of the fifth. 

Jake Aleman singled to lead off the inning. With one out Evan Balzano doubled to put a pair of runners into scoring position for MU. In the very next at bat Cameron Martin sent a 2-2 pitch over the left field fence for a three-run home run to pull the Pioneers to within just one run at 5-4. 

Unfortunately the Zips got all three of those runs back in their half of the fifth inning. 

It did not take long for Malone to fight back and tie the game. 

Tyson Gingerich led off the top of the sixth with a single. He immediately stole second base, and then came around to score on a RBI single by JT Tonelli. 

Later on in the inning Tonelli scored on Evan Balzano's RBI base hit. Martin followed Balzano with his second round-tripper of the day, this time a two-run shot to tie the game at 8-8. 

Tyler Jackson, who had entered the game out of the bullpen in the bottom of the fifth, pitched a scoreless bottom of the sixth and MU's offense went right back to work in the seventh. 

Aleman singled home both Tonelli and Andrew Hanna. Balzano also added a RBI in the inning to give Malone an 11-8 lead. 

Jackson tossed another zero on the scoreboard in the bottom of the seventh, and the Pioneers came through with two more insurance runs in the eighth. 

Hanna came through with a sacrifice fly to score Boston Black. Tonelli also had a RBI base hit in the inning to make it 13-8 in favor of the Pioneers. 

Those insurance runs proved to be crucial as the Zips plated one in the bottom of the eighth and three more in the bottom of the ninth.

However, Jackson was able to work out of the jam in the bottom of the ninth to secure the 13-12 win for Malone.

PIONEER POINTS

• Cameron Martin's monster day at the plate allowed him to add five RBIs to his season total which now stands at a team-leading 28. 
• As a team, Malone recorded a season-high 18 hits. Tyson Gingerich, Jake Aleman, Evan Balzano, and Clayton Criss all had three hits each.
• The Pioneers swiped four more stolen bases on the afternoon to push their team total out to 57 this season. 
• Tyler Jackson tossed 4.1 innings in relief to earn his third win of the season. He allowed just three earned runs and struck out three opposing batters

WHAT'S NEXT?
Malone is set to host the newest member of the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) this weekend, Ashland University. 

The series will take place over three days - Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday. 

The Pioneers and Eagles will play one nine inning game on Thursday (12:00 p.m.), and another nine inning game on Saturday (3:00 p.m.). The series will conclude with a seven inning doubleheader on Sunday afternoon (1:00 p.m.).