Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

The Malone University baseball team split its Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference doubleheader with Northwood (MI) University on Friday afternoon at Thurman Munson Stadium, registering a 10-6 victory in the opener before falling by a final score of 5-2 in the finale.

The Pioneers' record moved to 9-12 overall and 2-6 in the GLIAC following Friday's action while the Timberwolves' mark now stands at 7-9 overall and 2-3 in the conference.

The two squads will conclude the weekend series on Saturday with a single, nine-inning contest, starting at 11:00 a.m.  **The start time for Saturday's game was originally 1:00 p.m.**

Game One Recap
Northwood grabbed an early 6-2 lead in the opener, capitalizing on six base hits and four Pioneer fielding miscues through the first four innings.

The Pioneers fought back to take the lead by plating five runs in the bottom of the fifth.  Walks by centerfielder Daulton Ritter and leftfielder Keanan Locke and a single to center by first baseman Michael Chack loaded the bases with no outs.  Following a flyout to shallow left, third baseman Bob Suitca brought home the first run of the inning by drawing a bases loaded walk.

Shortstop Jon Crank then stepped to the plate and lined a two-run single to center to pull Malone within one. After another walk and a strikeout, second baseman Tyler Eagon ripped a single through the left side of the infield to put the Pioneers on top 7-6. 

Malone then put the contest away with three runs in the bottom of the sixth, crossing the plate on a wild pitch and then scoring two more runs on a two-out single by catcher Matt Davis.

Left-handed pitcher Alex Haines started on the mound for the Pioneers and earned the win (2-2) after tossing the first five innings, giving up six runs (only one of which was earned) on six hits.  Reliever Jesse Coblentz then relieved Haines in the top of the sixth and worked two scoreless innings to earn his second save.

The Pioneers tallied eight base hits and drew 10 walks in the game.  Eagon went 2-for-3 with four RBI's, ripping a two-run single in the second to go with his go-ahead hit in the fifth.  Crank and Chack each added two hits apiece with Crank also scoring three runs.

Game Two Recap
The Timberwolves used a pair of RBI singles to break an early 1-1 tie in top of the second inning of the finale.  The Northwood lead then grew to 4-1 in the third when designated hitter Eric Altman smacked a two-out RBI triple to deep center.

Malone got one run back in the bottom of the third when Chack and catcher Hayden Mobley ripped back-to-back doubles to right-center.  The 4-2 deficit was as close as the Pioneers would get, though, as Timberwolves starting pitcher Andrew Joseph held Malone off the scoreboard over the final four innings.

Joseph improved to 3-1 on the year after yielding just the two runs on eight hits while striking out two in his second complete game of the season.

Right-hander Tyler Whitlach also went the distance on the mound for Malone, suffering his second loss of the year (2-2) after giving up the five runs on seven hits.

Eagon and Mobley each went 2-for-3 at the plate to lead the way for the Pioneer offense in game two.