The Malone University baseball team concluded its four-game series at Tiffin University on Saturday by earning a doubleheader split for the second straight day.

The Pioneers (23-17 overall, 14-10 GLIAC) secured a dramatic 6-5 victory in the 12-inning opener before the Dragons (14-24 overall, 8-13 GLIAC) bounced back with a 7-5 triumph in the finale.

Malone will be back in action next Saturday at home with a 1:00 p.m. doubleheader against Ashland University.  The first pitch between the Pioneers and GLIAC-leading Eagles is slated for a 1:00 p.m. at Thurman Munson Stadium.

Game One Recap
Tiffin entered the top of the sixth inning holding a 4-0 lead in the opener before Malone broke through, plating four runs to tie the score. Designated hitter Matt Davis brought home the first run with an RBI single.  Catcher Hayden Mobley made it 4-2 with an RBI groundout.  Leftfielder Ryan Froman added an RBI single to right and first baseman Tyler Eagon knotted things up at 4-4 on a successful squeeze bunt.

The Dragons pulled ahead 5-4 in the bottom of the sixth, but Malone managed to keep the game alive in the top of the seventh after scoring on a bases-loaded walk.  The game then remained deadlocked at 5-5 until rightfielder Matt Wheeler came through with an RBI single down the rightfield line in the top of the twelfth.

A walk, a sacrifice bunt and an infield single put runners at the corners for Tiffin with one out in the bottom of the frame.  However, Pioneer hurler Tyler Whitlatch, who had come on in relief at the start of the twelfth, managed to preserve the victory by inducing a game-ending 4-6-3 double play.

Whitlatch earned his first career save after holding the Dragons off the scoreboard in the twelfth.  Joe Costello started on the mound and tossed the first five innings, giving up four runs (two earned) on five hits.  Gunnar Smeyres earned his second victory (2-0) of the season after working five scoreless innings of relief.

Froman paced the Pioneer offense, tallying two of Malone's eight hits.

Game Two Recap
The Pioneers struck first in game two as centerfielder Brenden Wells led off the contest with a single and then crossed the plate on Tiffin error.  The Dragons roared back with five runs in the bottom of the first, capitalizing on two Malone errors, a walk and four base hits.  

Wells ripped a two-out RBI triple down the rightfield line in the top of the fourth to cut the lead to 5-2.  The hit marked Wells' eighth triple of the year, tying Malone Athletic Hall of Fame member Steve Buso's single-season record set in 1993.

Tiffin tacked on two more runs in the bottom of the fourth to extend its lead to 7-2.  Malone would add two runs in the fifth and one run in the seventh, but it was not enough to overcome the early deficit.

The Pioneers registered nine hits in the contest.  Eagon led the way, going 3-for-4 with an RBI single and one run scored.