Box Score 1 | Box Score 2
The Malone University softball team (8-12-1, 0-6 GLIAC) dropped two close games to Hillsdale College (MI) on Saturday afternoon by margins of 3-1 and 7-6.
 
Malone received a solid pitching performance from junior Jillian Coyle, who yielded three runs, all earned, on six hits in seven innings of work. The Pioneers scored their lone run in the bottom of the first inning to knot the game at one apiece when sophomore Alexa Holztrager scored from second on a wild play. Freshman Allison Mercado stuck out to appear to end the inning but the third strike skirted away from the catcher. Her hustle down the line drew a throw to first from the catcher, which she beat out, allowing Holztrager to come all the way around from second to score the run.
 
Hillsdale regained the lead on a two-run homerun from Bekah Kastning in the top of the third inning, which proved to be the game's final runs. From that point on, Coyle (5-6) and Hillsdale's Sarah Grunert locked in to throw zero after zero up on the scoreboard. Malone brought the tying run to the plate in the last inning after sophomore Emily Isla drew a two-out walk, but sophomore Desi Hengoed popped up to the catcher to end the game.
 
Game 2 saw Malone battle all the way back from a 6-1 deficit, only to fall in the seventh inning on an unearned run.
 
Trailing 6-1 entering the fifth inning, the Pioneers exploded for five runs on the heels of five consecutive hits to start the inning. Hengoed provided the fireworks with an opposite field grand slam to pull Malone within one. The next batter, freshman Juliana Shultes, who was responsible for Malone's first run of the game with an rbi single in the first inning, followed up Hengoed's blast with an opposite field home run of her own. The back-to back home runs chased Hillsdale pitcher Sarah Klopfer in favor of game 1 starter, Grunert.
 
Grunert quieted the Pioneer bats the rest of the way setting the stage for the Chargers walk-off victory. Ainsley Ellison led off the bottom of the seventh with an infield single, moved to third on Malone's only defensive error of the game, and came home to score when she slid under the tag on a fielder's choice grounder to the shortstop.
 
Junior Stephanie Byrne dropped to 3-6 on the season, giving up seven runs, six of which were earned, in six innings. Isla, Hengoed, Shultes, and freshman Mikayla Fowler collected two hits apiece to spur on Malone's 12 hit attack.
 
Malone will search for their first GLIAC win of the season tomorrow when they take on the University of Findlay in a doubleheader starting at noon.