CANTON, Ohio – A potent offense in game one led the Malone University baseball team to a 13-5 win over Thomas More University in game one of the series, but two unearned runs doomed the Pioneers in a 3-0 loss in the second of a doubleheader against the Saints. Malone is 17-30 and 8-22 in Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) action with one day remaining in the regular season. Thomas More is 16-30 and 9-20 inside the league.
GAME ONE RECAP:
The Saints took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first, but the Pioneers supported starting pitcher
Jackson Phelps with a seven-spot in the bottom half of the inning.
Zach Flohr and
Reilly Tyna drove in one run each with base hits and
Robert Gumino delivered the big blow with a three-run double.
Malone added on in five of the six remaining turns at-bat to maintain a steady gap.
Rafe Bonifay had a sacrifice fly in the second.
Anthony Ryan, Gumino and Bonifay tacked on additional runs later in the game with run-scoring hits.
Phelps (6-3) exited the game with a 10-4 advantage. He struck out two batters in his five innings of work.
TJ Curry and
Kai Duda each had a scoreless inning of relief work and
Caesen Sutton threw and inning without allowing a run from the bullpen.
Gumino and Ryan had three hits apiece. Gumino led the team with four runs batted in, followed by Bonifay with three. Flohr, Tyna, Bonifay,
Allen Diaz,
Jordan Stevens and
Eric Baum had multiple hits as the Pioneers exploded for 19 in total, the most in a conference affair on the season.
GAME TWO RECAP:
Devin Norton escaped a bases loaded jam in the second to keep a shutout going early in game two. In the fifth inning, the Saints brought two home to score with the help of an error on a fielder's choice.
After a great game one at the plate, Malone could not get anything going in the second game of the day. The Pioneers were held to just three hits in seven innings, two coming from Tyna. On the other side, Thomas More pushed across an insurance run in the seventh with an RBI single.
Norton (2-6) threw six innings without allowing an earned run, but unfortunately received the loss. He struck out three.
Cooper Davies surrendered a run and struck out one from the bullpen.
UP NEXT:
The Pioneers will celebrate the class of 2025 between games of a doubleheader that begins on Saturday, May 3 at 3:00 P.M.
