LITTLE RIVER, S.C. – The Malone University softball team had two run-rule shutout victories on Tuesday with an 11-0 triumph over Rochester Christian University and a 9-0 win against Penn State Mont Alto. The Pioneer pitching staff allowed just two hits on the day, one in each contest, to move to 7-1 on the year. Their opponents were each in their first day of competition in the 2025 season.
MALONE vs ROCHESTER CHRISTIAN RECAP:
The Pioneers jumped all over the Warriors in the top of the first inning. Malone's first seven batters reached base to go up 4-0.
Mia Rose drove in two runs with a triple and
Sidney Conti doubled to score a third.
Emma Oshel singled through the right side of the infield to make it 4-0. A bases loaded hit by pitch for
Amber Miller drove in an unearned fifth run in the inning.
The offense would go quiet for a majority of the game, until the Pioneers unloaded for another crooked number in the sixth. Rose (2), Conti (1) and Oshel (1) added on to their RBI totals and an inside-the-park homerun by
Jesse Crookston made it 11-0 and put Malone in position for the run-rule victory.
Along with her 2-for-4 day with four RBIs at the plate, Rose (3-1) also threw a complete game shutout in the circle and allowed just one hit over six innings pitched with battery mate
Sydney Seaman. She fanned a season-high 11 Rochester batters in the win.
MALONE vs PENN STATE MONT ALTO RECAP:
An error by the Lions helped the Pioneers to go up 2-0 in the first inning. An early lead would be effective for their game two pitcher
Allie Weilnau as well as she retired the first seven batters.
Back-to-back doubles by
Catarena Sommers and
Madi Pukansky as well as an RBI groundout by
Zoe Lesch doubled the Malone advantage to 4-0 in the fourth. A Sommers sacrifice fly in the fifth added on and set up a four-run sixth inning to secure the run-rule victory.
Rachel Finnical,
Ella Collinsworth,
Marlee Pireu and
Madi Burkhart drove in one run apiece to go up 9-0.
Five players had multiple hits, including Conti, Pireu, Pukansky,
Faith Yoho and
Aricka Young. All eight RBIs were driven in by a different student-athlete. In the circle, Weilnau allowed just one hit in her six innings of shutout softball. She faced just 20 batters and fanned eight.
UP NEXT:
On Wednesday, March 12, Malone is back in action for a doubleheader, starting with Penn State DuBois at 9:00 A.M.