The Malone University softball team saw its 2010 season come to a close on Wednesday evening as the squad suffered a tough 14-0 loss to Walsh University in an elimination game at the American Mideast Conference Tournament.  The contest, played at Shawnee State University’s Boone Coleman Field in West Portsmouth, Ohio, was decided early as the third-seeded Cavaliers scored seven times in the bottom of the first and then took advantage of three Pioneer errors in the bottom of the second, tacking on seven more runs to put the contest out of reach.  Walsh (21-19 overall) had fallen 5-4 to second-seeded Notre Dame College earlier on Wednesday, but remained alive in the four-team, double-elimination tournament with the five-inning, run-rule victory over fourth-seeded Malone.  The Pioneers, who dropped a 5-1 decision to top-seeded Shawnee State in Wednesday’s opening-round contest, wrapped up a successful 2010 campaign with a final overall record of 10-16.

 Malone tallied four hits in the game as sophomore third baseman Megan Lane (pictured above; Hilliard Darby H.S.) smacked a fourth-inning double while sophomore shortstop Kristen Atzenhoefer (Central Crossing H.S.), sophomore designated player Kelsee Locker (Strasburg-Franklin H.S.) and freshman second baseman Nikki Eshelman (Wadsworth H.S.) all notched singles.

The Malone University softball team lost 5-1 to Shawnee State University on Wednesday afternoon in the opening round of the American Mideast Conference Postseason Tournament.  The Pioneers held an early 1-0 lead thanks to a fourth-inning home run by sophomore shortstop Kristen Atzenhoefer (pictured left; Central Crossing H.S.). However, the top-seeded Bears, who are hosting the four-team double-elimination event, rallied back for the victory with five runs in the bottom of the fifth.  Malone, the tournament’s fourth seed, dropped to 10-15 overall with the defeat while Shawnee State improved its record to 26-22.

Atzenhoefer broke a scoreless tie with her leadoff homer in the top of the fourth inning.  Malone’s 1-0 lead would not last, though, as Shawnee State loaded the bases in the fifth and then strung together three straight two-out base hits to grab a 5-1 advantage.  The Pioneers were unable to cut into the deficit the rest of the way as Shawnee State pitcher Katie Daniel picked up the complete-game victory after limiting Malone to the one run on four hits while striking out seven.  Junior pitcher Jessica Krska (Norton H.S.) went the distance for the Pioneers, surrendering five runs on six hits over her six innings of work.  In addition to Atzenhoefer’s home run, senior centerfielder Morgan Heacock (Mt. Gilead H.S.) and junior first baseman Karre Thompson (East Canton H.S.) each smacked doubles while junior catcher Laura Ronk (St. Vincent-St. Mary H.S.) added a single.          

The Pioneers will now look to quickly regroup as the squad will take on third-seeded Walsh University in an elimination game at 5:00 p.m.  Earlier in the day, the Cavaliers lost to second-seeded Notre Dame College in eight innings by a final tally of 5-4.  The winner of Wednesday’s 5:00 p.m. match-up between Malone and Walsh will move on to play another elimination game on Thursday at 3:00 p.m.

AMC Softball Tournament Bracket

The Malone University softball team wrapped up its regular-season schedule at home on Saturday afternoon with a pair of victories in an American Mideast Conference doubleheader against Carlow (PA) University.  The Pioneers claimed a 7-3 victory in the opener and then pounded out 18 hits in a convincing 19-0, run-rule victory in game two.  Sophomore shortstop Kristen Atzenhoefer (pictured left; Central Crossing H.S.) put together an incredible performance at the plate in the nightcap as she went 4-for-4 with seven RBI’s, tying a Malone and NAIA single-game record with three home runs in the lop-sided victory.  Atzenhoefer smacked two-run homers in both the first and second innings, ripped an RBI double off the top of the leftfield fence in the third and then clubbed another two-run shot to center in the fourth inning.  With the pair of wins, the Pioneers’ record improved to 10-14 overall and 10-6 in the AMC while Carlow fell to 15-19 overall and 2-12 in the conference.  Following Saturday’s twin bill, Malone currently sits in fourth place in the AMC standings and will now await the outcome of several other conference games to see if the squad will qualify for the four-team AMC Postseason Tournament (See Playoff Picture below).

The Pioneers scored four times in the bottom of the first inning to grab an early lead in game one.  The Celtics cut the lead in half in the top of the third on a two-run homer to rightfield.  An RBI double by junior first baseman Karre Thompson (East Canton H.S.) made it 5-2 in the bottom of the third and the Pioneers then tacked on two unearned runs in the bottom of the fifth to put the contest out of reach.  Junior pitcher Jessica Krska (Norton H.S.) tossed her eighth complete game of the year, improving her record to 7-6 after limiting Carlow to three runs on six hits.  The Pioneers registered eight hits in the contest as junior catcher Laura Ronk (St. Vincent-St. Mary H.S.) went 3-for-4 with a double and three runs scored.   Thompson posted two hits in four at-bats with a double, two RBI’s and one run scored while senior centerfielder Morgan Heacock (Mt. Gilead H.S.) also went 2-for-4 with a triple, two stolen bases and one run scored.

Although Malone batted in just four innings of game two, four different Pioneers tallied three or more hits in the five-inning contest.  Eight of Malone’s hits went for extra bases as the squad scored four runs in the first inning, five in the second, two in the third and eight runs in the fourth.  Junior leftfielder Elizabeth Sarkissian (Twinsburg H.S.), the Pioneers’ No. 2 hitter, helped set the table for Atzenhoefer’s amazing performance as she reached base in all four of her at-bats, going 3-for-4 and crossing the plate on each of Atzenhoefer’s hits.  Thompson went 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles while freshman second baseman Nikki Eshelman (Wadsworth H.S.) also posted three hits in four at-bats with three runs scored.  Heacock and sophomore third baseman Megan Lane (Hilliard Darby H.S.) both added home runs with Lane’s solo shot flying over the leftfield fence in the first and Heacock’s coming inside-the-park on a liner that bounced into the leftfield  corner, scoring three runs in the fourth.  Not to be overshadowed by all the offense was sophomore pitcher Kelsey Hatfield’s (Ostego H.S.) performance as she tossed a one-hit shutout, allowing just a bunt single over her five innings of work to improve her record to 3-5 on the season.  

Playoff Picture:  The top four finishers in the final regular-season standings will qualify for the double-elimination AMC Postseason Tournament that will take place May 5-7 at the field of the regular-season champion.  The winner of this event will receive the conference’s lone automatic bid to the NAIA National Tournament

With its regular-season schedule complete, Malone is currently in fourth place in the conference standings with its 8-6 record.  Walsh University holds the third spot with a 9-5 conference mark while Point Park (PA) University is fifth at 6-5.  The Cavaliers have a doubleheader with Carlow remaining on their schedule while PPU was slated to play twin bills at second-place Notre Dame (OH) College on Saturday and at sixth-place Cedarville University on Monday.  Based on its performance against Walsh and Point Park earlier this season, Malone would clinch a postseason tourney spot if Walsh lost one of its two games with Carlow OR if Point Park lost two of its four remaining contests.

The Malone University softball team tallied a 1-1 record on Tuesday afternoon in its American Mideast Conference doubleheader at home against Notre Dame (OH) College.  The Pioneers fell by a 3-1 final in the opener but then snapped the Falcons' seven-game winning streak by rallying late for a 9-8 win in the finale.  Following the doubleheader split, Malone’s record moved to 8-14 overall and 8-6 in the AMC while Notre Dame’s mark now stands at 17-20 overall and 8-4 in the conference.

The Falcons pulled out to an early 3-0 lead in the opener by plating two runs in the top of the first and one run in the top of the second.  Senior centerfielder Morgan Heacock (pictured left; Mt. Gilead H.S.) then got the Pioneers on the scoreboard in the bottom of the fifth after smacking a one-out single to leftcenter, stealing second, advancing to third on a wild pitch and then scoring on a sacrifice fly to center by junior leftfielder Elizabeth Sarkissian (Twinsburg H.S.).  Malone was unable to manufacture any additional runs the rest of the way, though, as NDC went on to record the 3-1 victory.  Junior pitcher Jessica Krska (Norton H.S.) went distance on the mound and suffered the loss despite allowing just three runs (two earned) on 11 hits over seven innings of work.  The Pioneers registered five hits in the game as sophomore third baseman Kelsee Locker (Strasburg-Franklin H.S.) went 2-for-3 with a pair of singles.

Notre Dame brought home three runs in the top of the fifth inning of game two to break a 3-3 tie.  However, Malone quickly responded, scoring five times in the bottom of the frame to take an 8-6 advantage.  With the bases loaded and two outs, freshman rightfielder Brittany Stevenson (Geneva H.S.) got the fifth-inning scoring started with a two-run single.  Heacock followed by ripping a ball to right that went all the way to the wall, scoring both runners that were remaining on base.  Heacock then managed to sprint all the way home to score on the play for an inside-the-park homerun as, when trying to the retrieve the ball laying in the outfield grass, the foot of Notre Dame’s rightfielder got stuck under the fence.  The Falcons cut the deficit to 8-7 with a score in the top of the sixth but Malone got the run back in the bottom of the inning as junior catcher Laura Ronk (St. Vincent-St. Mary H.S.) smacked a one-out triple to center and then scored on a sacrifice fly by junior first baseman Karre Thompson (East Canton H.S.).  The Falcons made it 9-8 in the top of the seventh with a two-out RBI single, but Krska retired the next batter of the inning on a fly-out to secure the come-from-behind victory.  Krska picked up the win (6-6) in relief after tossing the final three innings.  The Pioneers notched nine hits in the game as Ronk went 3-for-4 with two runs scored.  Stevenson posted two hits in three at-bats with two runs scored and two runs batted in while Sarkissian registered a pair of singles.

Malone will conclude its regular season schedule on Saturday at home with a 1:00 p.m. doubleheader against Carlow (PA) University (15-17 overall, 2-10 AMC).

Playoff Picture:  The top four finishers in the final regular-season standings will qualify for the double-elimination AMC Postseason Tournament that will take place May 5-7 at the field of the regular-season champion.  The winner of this event will receive the conference’s lone automatic bid to the NAIA National Tournament

Now with just two AMC games remaining on its schedule, Malone is currently in fourth place in the conference standings with its 8-6 record.

AMC Softball Standings

The Malone University softball team posted a win and a loss on Monday afternoon in its American Mideast Conference doubleheader at Cedarville University.  The Pioneers snapped a seven-game Yellow Jacket winning streak with a 6-3 triumph in the opener.  However, Cedarville rallied from a 5-3 deficit in game two, scoring three times in the bottom of the sixth to post a 6-5 victory.  Following the doubleheader split, Malone’s record moved to 7-13 overall and 7-5 in the AMC while the Yellow Jackets now hold a mark of 19-22 overall and 6-6 in the conference.

Game one remained scoreless until the top of the fourth inning when Malone plated five runs after taking advantage of several Yellow Jacket miscues, including two errors, a pair of wild pitches and a passed ball.  The Pioneers then tacked on another run in the fifth as junior first baseman Karre Thompson (pictured left; East Canton H.S.) led off the frame with a double to leftfield and then came around to score when sophomore designated player Megan Lane (Hilliard Darby H.S.) reached on a fielding error.  Cedarville brought home three runs in the bottom of the sixth to trim the deficit to 6-3 but it was not enough as Malone starting pitcher Jessica Krska (Norton H.S.) improved her record to 5-5 on the season after tossing her sixth complete game of the year.  Krska allowed the three runs on six hits over seven innings of work, striking out three while not walking a batter.  The Pioneers tallied seven hits in the contest as Thompson went 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles and two runs scored.  Senior centerfielder Morgan Heacock (Mt. Gilead H.S.) also posted two hits in four at-bats while Lane drove in a run in the fourth with an RBI single to leftfield.

Down 3-1 after three innings of game two, Malone knotted the contest in the top of the fourth as junior catcher Laura Ronk (St. Vincent-St. Mary H.S.) ripped an RBI triple to rightfield and then came home to score on a groundout by Thompson.  The Pioneers then pulled ahead 5-3 in the top of the sixth on Lane’s two-run triple to centerfield.  Malone retired the first two Yellow Jacket batters of the sixth inning but Cedarville then loaded the bases with three straight singles.  After the next Yellow Jacket to come to the plate was hit by a pitch, Cedarville third baseman Paige Stewart came through with a clutch single to right center that brought home the tying and go-ahead runs.  Malone put a runner in scoring position with one out in the top of the seventh but was unable to bring her home as the Yellow Jackets went on to record the come-from-behind 6-5 victory.  Sophomore pitcher Kelsey Hatfield (Ostego H.S.) went the distance for the Pioneers and took the loss (2-5) after surrendering the six runs on nine hits.  Malone recorded eight hits in the game as Ronk went 2-for- 3 with a pair of RBI’s and two runs scored.  Heacock went 2-for-4 with a stolen base and one run scored while sophomore shortstop Kristen Atzenhoefer (Central Crossing H.S.) also posted two hits in four at-bats with one run scored.

The Pioneers will continue AMC play on Tuesday with an important 3:30 p.m. doubleheader at home against Notre Dame (OH) College (16-19 overall, 7-3 AMC).

Playoff Picture:  The top four finishers in the final regular-season standings will qualify for the double-elimination AMC Postseason Tournament that will take place May 5-7 at the field of the regular-season champion.  The winner of this event will receive the conference’s lone automatic bid to the NAIA National Tournament

Now with four AMC games remaining on its schedule (home doubleheaders with Notre Dame on Tueday and Carlow University on Saturday), Malone is tied with Walsh University for third place in the conference standings with a 7-5 record.

AMC Softball Standings