CANTON, Ohio – The Malone University baseball team played their season opener against West Virginia State University on Friday and won game one 12-7 and game two 6-1 to put them at 2-0 to start the season. The Yellow Jackets fall to 1-5 overall.
GAME ONE RECAP:
To put the first run on the board in the bottom of the first,
Colin Coblentz made it home off a base hit from
Zach Root. In the top of the second, West Virginia State tied the game on a bases loaded single.
Ethan Petak was hit by a pitch to start the bottom of the second then stole second base.
Doran Mast brought Petak home and advanced to second. Mast put the wheels on and earned Malone their third run off a single to second from
Charlie Roberts.
The Yellow Jackets cut the deficit to 3-2, but the Pioneers were able to secure four runs in the bottom of the inning though starting with a
Jake Barker walk and stolen base followed by a single from Petak and West Virginia State error. Petak made it home off a
Vincent Alvarez single and Mast and Roberts scored off singles from Roberts and
Robert Gumino to end the third up 7-2. West Virginia State answered with five runs in the fourth inning which put the score at 7-7 until the bottom of the sixth.
Gumino swung for a triple to start the bottom of the sixth and was brought home next at-bat with a
Colin Coblentz double, 8-7.
Colin Coblentz then stole third and score the ninth run for Malone due to wild pitch. Barker hit a triple then Petak did the same bringing Barker home 10-7. Runs 11 and 12 came in due to errors from the Yellow Jackets. West Virginia State left two on base to end the game after three strikeouts from closing pitcher
Shane Coblentz.
Six Pioneer players had two hits each and Roberts ended with two RBIs. As a team they ended game one with zero errors compared to West Virginia State's three.
Landon Homan (1-0) was the winning pitcher allowing one run.
GAME TWO RECAP:
Innings one and two were scoreless for the two teams in game two. Malone was able to capture four runs in the bottom of the third. Gumino started with a base hit and stole second then
Shane Coblentz and Root were walked which made bases loaded. A sacrifice fly to right field from Barker gave the Pioneers their first run of the game. Petak tripled to bring
Shane Coblentz and Root home. The fourth run was score by Petak off a Yellow Jackets throwing error.
To start the bottom of the fifth,
Shane Coblentz had a hit which put him on second. Petak also had a double this inning that brought
Shane Coblentz home for a 5-0 score to end the inning. The top of the sixth resulted in one hit and one run for West Virginia State, which was their first and only of each in game two.
Rafe Bonifay started the offense for Malone in the bottom of the sixth with a double down the left field line. Gumino hit a sacrifice bunt to bring Bonifay home at 6-1 to end the inning.
Petak led the Pioneers with two hits (one double and one triple) and three RBIs. Bonifay also concluded with two hits.
Finn Schmitt (1-0) pitched six innings with seven strikeouts and allowed one run.
UP NEXT:
Malone will host another doubleheader against West Virginia State on Saturday, February 21. First pitch of the doubleheader will be at 12:00 P.M.
