CANTON, Ohio - The Malone University softball team bounced back with a doubleheader sweep of Wheeling University on Wednesday to advance to 20-8 overall and drop the Cardinals to 7-27 on the year.
 
GAME ONE RECAP:
The Pioneers had to come from behind late to secure the game one victory, 5-3. The team was able to shut down their opponents with the help of a season-high 14 strikeout performance from junior Mia Rose (11-4). Rose helped her own cause with an RBI single in the first and Jessie Crookston drove her in with a double down the left field line.
 
That score would hold until the top of the fourth inning when a triple and single on back-to-back Wheeling plate appearances drove in one. In the fifth, the Cardinals would put themselves in front with a pair of unearned runs. Chaos on the basepaths caused an error and a bunt single scored the go-ahead run for Wheeling.
 
Malone was able to respond immediately to regain the lead. Four straight batters reached with two outs, highlighted by a one-run single off the bat of Crookston and a two-run single up the middle by Masyn Baker. The 5-3 lead was safe in the hands of the ace of the staff and Rose shut down the opponents for the win.
 
Along with her tremendous performance in the circle, Rose was also 3-for-3 at the plate. Crookston was 2-for-3 with a pair of runs batted in.
 
GAME TWO RECAP:
Both sides went down in order in the first inning of game two and pitcher Masyn Baker (5-2) got a pair of punchouts with a runner in scoring position to keep the zero on the board in the second. In the bottom half of the frame, Malone would manufacture the only offense from either side in the 2-0 Pioneer victory.
 
Rose singled to lead-off the inning, and then a 15-pitch battle for Crookston at the plate ended in an error. Baker reached via an error behind her to set the table for Aricka Young to smack a two-run single to left. A successful pickoff for Wheeling limited further damage.
 
Consecutive hits for the Cardinals in the fourth would be thwarted by a double play ball and a successful pickoff attempt for Malone. Wheeling got their own double play on a liner to second base in the following inning. The opponents put a runner in scoring position in the seventh and sent the potential game-tying run to the plate, but Baker locked up the win with a groundout to Madi Pukansky and a strikeout to close the game. She threw seven innings of shutout baseball with seven strikeouts.
 
UP NEXT:
Northwood University is next on the docket at home on Friday, April 10 beginning at 11:00 A.M.