CANTON, Ohio – The Malone University baseball team defeated Lake Erie College in a mid-week non-conference game by a score of 4-2. The pitching staff allowed just two hits and
Zach Flohr launched a two-run homerun in the eighth to give the Pioneers the lead. Malone is now 10-13 on the year and Lake Erie falls to 13-10 overall.
It was a shaky start for the Pioneers as the starting pitcher
Cole Miller loaded the bases on walks. An unearned run came across for the Storm with a two-out error. Lake Erie added an additional run in the third inning with a double down the left field line.
TJ Curry was called upon to get the team out of a jam to limit the damage.
Malone loaded the bases themselves by using small ball in the bottom of the third.
Robert Gumino and
Eric Baum reached base with a hit by pitch and a walk.
Anthony Bartiromo beat out a bunt for a single to put multiple runners in scoring position.
Allen Diaz and
Anthony Ryan had RBIs with a fielder's choice and a sacrifice fly to tie the score at 2-2.
Curry continued to deal and retired all eight batters he faced in the third, fourth and fifth innings.
Ben France and
Mark Bunch would go 1-2-3 in their innings of relief work as well.
Kai Duda (1-0) entered from the Malone bullpen in the eighth inning and stranded the go-ahead run 90 feet from home when Baum made a diving snag up the middle from the shortstop position.
Jordan Stevens led off the eighth with a single to left field and
Jake Barker moved him over with a sacrifice bunt. Flohr only needed a ball to the outfield grass, but decided it was a good time for his third homerun of the season to go up 4-2.
Cooper Davies shut down the Storm three in a row in the ninth to claim his fourth save of the year.
Stevens was the only man in the lineup with a multi-hit day (2-for-3) and he reached base a third time via a walk. The pitching staff struck out seven in total, led by Curry with three. Malone surrendered seven walks, but they all came in the first 2.1 innings.
The Pioneers hit the road for the first time in two weeks when they go to the University of Findlay for a four-game set. That series begins on Friday, March 28 at 1:00 P.M.
