The Malone University baseball team wrapped up its spring break trip to Phoenix, Arizona on Saturday with a pair of tough losses to Minot State (ND) University as the Beavers staged late-inning rallies in both games, taking the opener 4-3 before claiming the nightcap by a final score of 5-4.  The Pioneers overall record fell to 10-4 with the pair of one-run defeats while Minot State moved back to the .500 mark, improving to 5-5.

The Pioneers held a 3-1 lead after 5 ½ innings of game one but Minot State was able to knot the contest at 3-3 after pushing two runs across the plate in the bottom of the sixth.  Malone was unable to score in the top of the seventh and the Beavers came through with a bases loaded single in the bottom of the frame to record the walk-off 4-3 victory.  Sophomore right-handed pitcher Camden Carter (Lake H.S.) started on the mound and worked six innings, allowing three unearned runs on four hits.  Junior designated hitter Corey Hartong (pictured above; Dalton H.S.) went 2-for-3 at the plate with a double.  Sophomore first baseman Matt Anderson (Jackson H.S.) plated a run in the top of the sixth with a double while freshman leftfielder Allen Strouble (Marlington H.S.) went 1-for-3 with a stolen base, one run scored and one run batted in.

Malone led Saturday’s second contest 4-1 after five innings but the Beavers once again fought back, hanging four runs on the scoreboard in the top of the sixth to pull ahead 5-4.  After leading off the sixth with a single, Minot State drew a pair of one-out walks to load the bases.  The Beavers’ clean-up hitter then came to the plate and clubbed a grand slam to give Minot the one-run advantage.  The Pioneers put a pair of runners on base in both the bottom of the sixth and bottom of the seventh but Malone was unable to tie the game as the Beavers held on for the narrow win.  Freshman lefty Justin Szudlowski (Twinsburg H.S.) started the game and pitched the first five innings, allowing two runs on four hits while striking out three.  Malone tallied nine hits in the game as Hartong continued his strong afternoon at the plate, going 4-for-4 with a home run and two RBI’s.  Strouble also had another solid performance as he went 2-for-3 with a double and a two-run homer.

Malone is slated to return to action in Ohio on Wednesday with a 1:00 p.m. doubleheader at Ohio Dominican University.         

The Malone University baseball team posted two more wins on Friday afternoon at the RussMatt Greater Phoenix Invitational as the squad took both games of its doubleheader with Trinity International (IL) University, claiming the opener 9-3 before tallying a convincing 20-1 run-rule victory in game two.  The Pioneers’ record improved to 10-2 with the pair of wins while the Trojans dropped to 9-3.

Malone entered the bottom of the fourth inning of game one trailing 2-1, but the Pioneers then brought home four runs in the frame to pull ahead 5-2.  The score then remained unchanged until the bottom of the sixth when Malone added four more runs to put the game out of reach.  Freshman right-handed pitcher Jared Messer (Perry H.S.) started on the mound and picked up his second win of the year (2-0) after limiting the Trojans to two runs on eight hits over his six innings pitched.  The Pioneers notched 11 hits in the game, all singles.  Freshman centerfielder Matt Hamons (Willard H.S.) helped key Malone’s four-run fourth by delivering a two-run single.  Junior designated hitter Corey Hartong (Dalton H.S.), sophomore first baseman Matt Anderson (Jackson H.S.), and sophomore rightfielder Marc Adams (Louisville H.S.) each added two hits apiece.

Malone led game two by just a 2-1 margin after three innings.  It was all Pioneers from that point on, though, as the squad added six runs in the top of the fourth and then nearly batted around twice in a 12-run fifth.  The Pioneers piled up 14 hits in the contest, six of which went for extra bases.  Sophomore third baseman Sam Craciun (pictured above; Strongsville H.S.) put together an amazing game at the plate as he went 4-for-4, tallying five RBI’s, scoring four runs and finishing a home run shy of the cycle.  Senior rightfielder Jon Latimer (Dallas, TX) went 2-for-3 with three runs batted in and three runs scored while junior second baseman Justin Shiflett (Zane Trace H.S.) also posted two hits in three at-bats with a triple and an RBI single.  Sophomore shortstop Joe Goddard (Wadsworth H.S.) drove in three runs with a two-run double and a sacrifice fly while sophomore shortstop Kyle Sprague (Madison H.S.) and sophomore catcher T.J. Rosenberg (United Local H.S.) each delivered two-run singles.  Freshman right-handed pitcher Jesse Coblentz (Lake Center Christian H.S.) was the main beneficiary of all this offense as he picked up his first collegiate win (1-0) after limiting the Trojans to one run on three hits over the first four innings of the game.

The Pioneers will wrap up their spring break trip to Phoenix on Saturday with an 11:00 a.m. MST (1:00 p.m. EST) doubleheader against Minot State (ND) University.

The Malone University baseball team fell 7-5 to Trinity International (IL) University on Thursday afternoon at the RussMatt Greater Phoenix Invitational as the Trojans broke a 5-5 tie with two runs in the top of the seventh inning.  The loss marked just the second defeat for the Pioneers in their first 10 spring break games, dropping their record to 8-2.  Trinity International, meanwhile, improved to 9-1 with the hard-fought victory.

The Pioneers entered the bottom of the fifth trailing 4-2 but then evened the score following an RBI double by freshman leftfielder Allen Strouble (Marlington H.S.) and a two-out, run-scoring single by sophomore shortstop Kyle Sprague (pictured left; Madison H.S.).  The Trojans answered in the top of the sixth, re-gaining the lead with an unearned run.  Malone fought back to even the score at 5-5 in the bottom of the sixth as junior designated hitter Corey Hartong (Dalton H.S.) led off the inning with a triple and then was chased home on a single by sophomore first baseman Matt Anderson (Jackson H.S.).  The back and forth affair then continued in the seventh as an RBI triple and a sacrifice fly put TIU back in front.  Junior second baseman Justin Shiflett (Zane Trace H.S.) led off the bottom of the seventh with a single but the Trojans were able to extinguish the threat and cement the win by retiring the next three Pioneer batters in order.

Senior left-handed pitcher Todd Liberatore (Tusc. Central Catholic H.S.) started on the mound and earned a no decision after giving up five runs (three earned) on six hits over his six innings pitched.  Junior closer Bryan Bayer entered the game in the seventh and suffered the loss (0-2) after giving up the final two runs.

The Pioneers notched 11 base hits in the contest as Sprague posted three hits in four at-bats with two RBI’s.  Strouble went 2-for-3 with two runs scored and one run batted in while freshman centerfielder Matt Hamons (Willard H.S.) also posted two hits in three at-bats.

Malone will continue spring break play in Arizona on Friday with two more contests.  The squad will once again face Trinity International at 12:00 p.m. MST (2:00 p.m. EST) on Friday before taking on NCAA Division II Northern State (SD) University at 2:30 p.m. MST (4:30 p.m. EST).

The Malone University baseball team continued spring break play at the RussMatt Greater Phoenix Invitational on Thursday with a 4-2 victory over Peru State (NE) College.  The Pioneers jumped out to an early 4-0 lead and then withstood a late push by the Bobcats to record the victory.  Malone improved to 8-1 with the win while Peru State dropped to 5-7.

A two-out, two-run single by sophomore right fielder Marc Adams (Louisville H.S.) and a two-out RBI double by freshman centerfielder Matt Hamons (Willard H.S.) gave the Pioneers an early 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first.  Malone then tacked on another run in the third on an RBI triple by junior designated hitter Corey Hartong (Dalton H.S.).  The Bobcats pushed solo runs across the plate in the top of the sixth and top of the seventh but it was not enough to overcome the deficit.

Left-handed pitcher Jeff Shenker (pictured above; Jr., Twinsburg H.S.) went the distance on the mound, picking up his second win of the season (2-0) after limiting the Bobcats to two runs on five hits over his seven innings of work.  Shenker struck out eight and did not walk a batter.  In three appearances so far this spring spanning 13.1 innings, Shenker has now struck out an impressive total of 16 batters.

Malone continues play on Thursday afternoon with a 1:30 p.m. MST (3:30 p.m. EST) contest against Trinity International (IL) University.

The Malone University baseball team continued play at the RussMatt Greater Phoenix Invitational on Wednesday with a pair of shutout victories over Northern State (SD) University, a NCAA Division II member.  The Pioneers scored seven runs in the second inning of game one en route to an 8-0 triumph.  The thrashing then continued in game two as the squad plated 11 runs over the first two frames of a 14-0 run-rule victory.  Malone improved to 7-1 on the season following the pair of convincing victories while Northern State dropped to 1-8. 

Sophomore right-handed pitcher Nate Morrison (Marlington H.S.) started and picked up the win (1-0) in game one after surrendering just three hits while striking out two over five shutout innings.  Freshman leftfielder Allen Strouble (pictured left; Marlington H.S.) delivered the big hit during the Pioneers’ second-inning outburst, a bases-loaded double that drove in two base runners.  Malone tallied nine hits in the game as sophomore first baseman Matt Anderson (Jackson H.S.), sophomore rightfielder Marc Adams (Louisville H.S.) and sophomore catcher T.J. Rosenberg (United Local H.S.) each notched two hits apiece.

Anderson, Strouble, senior catcher Alex Schmid (Canton Central Catholic H.S.) and freshman centerfielder Matt Hamons (Willard H.S.) all clubbed triples over the first two innings of game two as the Pioneers batted around in both frames to quickly put the contest out of reach.  Hamons’ triple proved to be the back-breaker as it came with the bases loaded in the second inning, pushing Malone’s lead to 9-0.  The Pioneers registered a season-high 12 hits in the five-inning run-rule victory.  Schmid went 2-for-3 with a pair of runs batted in.  Adams recorded a pair of RBI singles in his two plate appearances while sophomore third baseman Sam Craciun (Strongsville H.S.) also went 2-for-2 with two runs scored and one run batted in.  Freshman righty Kurt Becker (Tusky Valley H.S.) started and notched his first collegiate win (1-0) after limiting the Wolves to five hits over his four shutout innings of work.