CANTON, Ohio – The Malone University baseball team took on Tiffin University in a non-conference game on Wednesday afternoon and came up short 10-3. The Pioneers are now 14-27 overall with eight conference games remaining. Tiffin advances to 17-25.
 
A triple, walk, and two run double gave the Dragons a 2-0 lead in the top of the first, but a two-run homerun off the bat of Jake Barker knotted the score back up in the bottom half of the inning. Cole Miller drew a walk to begin the second and Rafe Bonifay laced one down the left field line to claim a 3-2 lead.
 
A double from Tiffin drove in the game-tying run in the top of the third. A string of two-out baserunners and a triple to center field provided a 5-3 edge for the visitors in the fourth inning. Cadyn Smith worked his way out of the sixth with a groundball double play to keep the deficit where it was. The Pioneers threatened in the bottom of the sixth but were unable to scratch across a run after Ethan Petak and Miller had consecutive singles to begin the frame.
 
The Dragons doubled their run total in the seventh and eighth innings, but Gage Faraguna left the bases loaded to limit the damage. Malone sent a flurry of substitutes to the plate in the ninth, but were unable to dig themselves out of the hole.
 
Barker and Bonifay had multi-hit games with two hits apiece and Barker led the team with two RBIs and six total bases. TJ Curry (1-1) was saddled with the loss in his inning. Ben France, Mark Bunch, Smith, and Jackson Schwalbach had scoreless relief innings.
 
The Pioneers make the trip to Ohio Dominican University to begin a four-game series on Thursday, April 24. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 P.M. to start the doubleheader.