CANTON, Ohio – The Malone University baseball team won game one 2-0 versus Hillsdale College and dropped the final game of the four-game series 10-0 on Saturday afternoon. The Pioneers are at 9-9 overall and start Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) action at 2-2. The Chargers are 8-11 and 2-2 in conference play.
GAME ONE RECAP:
The teams went scoreless through the first four innings of the seven-inning conference game. Starting pitcher
Finn Schmitt had to work around some traffic, but kept the zero together and twirled a 1-2-3 inning in the third.
Malone scratched across a run in the fourth despite only recording one hit. The Pioneers received a walk, an infield single by
Jake Barker and a hit by pitch to lead the bases for
Chris Munoz. Munoz was credited with an RBI when he drew a bases loaded walk to give Malone the lead.
Schmitt went three up, three down in the fifth and sixth frames to secure the win (2-1) on the bump. He struck out five in his six innings of shutout baseball. Barker delivered some insurance with a solo homerun to left in the bottom of the sixth to set up
Cooper Davies for his third save of the season. Barker was the only man in the lineup with multiple hits in game one and Munoz reached base twice with a hit and walk.
GAME TWO RECAP:
A two-run homerun for the Chargers in the top of the first propelled them to an early lead in game two. They would add on in the top of the third with a six-spot in the inning to make it an 8-0 affair. That chased starting pitcher
Cole Miller (1-1) from the game after 2.1 innings. He struck out a team-high five.
Ayden Hall and
Caesen Sutton combined for 4.2 innings without allowing an earned run (one unearned). Sutton was most effective with 12 batters faced in his time on the mound. A Hillsdale two-run double extended the lead to 10-0 and the Pioneers had no answer with the bats in the eight-inning loss.
Allen Diaz reached base twice with one hit and one walk.
Jordan Stevens and
Eric Baum earned the other two hits for Malone in the game.
UP NEXT:
The Pioneers take on Northwood University in a four-game series starting on Saturday, March 22 at 3:00 P.M.