Central Ohio Today

The Malone University baseball team opened up Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) play on Thursday afternoon with a doubleheader at Ohio Dominican University. 

The Pioneers dropped the opener by a final score of 5-3, but bounced back for a 12-2 win in the second game of the day. 

THE ESSENTIALS

• Game 1: Ohio Dominican 5 - Malone 3
• Game 2: Malone 12 - Ohio Dominican 2
• Records: Malone (10-6, 1-1 G-MAC) | Ohio Dominican (7-9, 1-1 G-MAC)
• Location: Columbus, Ohio | Frank Damian Field at Panther Valley

GAME ONE

Ohio Dominican came out of the gate strong by scoring three runs on four hits in the bottom of the first inning. 

The Pioneers got on the board for the first time in the top of the third after Anthony Ryan's sacrifice fly allowed Eric Baum to score. 

Unfortunately ODU got that run right back, plus one more, in their half of the third inning on a double steal and RBI double. 

After several scoreless innings on both sides, the Pioneers rallied back in the top of the eighth. 

Malone sent eight batters to the plate in the inning. They used two hits and two Panther errors to push across two runs.

Anthony Ryan and Evan Balzano each had RBIs in the inning. 

Unfortunately MU went on to strand the bases loaded, and the score remained 5-3 in favor of Ohio Dominican. 

The Panthers were able to hang on to that two run advantage through the ninth inning to wrap up the game one win. 

GAME TWO

In the second game of the day it was the Pioneers who jumped on the scoreboard first with a RBI from Evan Balzano in the top of the third. 

Balzano then notched a sacrifice fly to score Eric Baum in the fifth to make it 2-0 in favor of Malone.

ODU responded with two runs on three hits in the bottom of the fifth inning to tie the game at 2-2. 

Malone's offense broke the game wide open in the sixth inning. 

14 batters went to the plate for the Pioneers in the inning. 10 of them came around to score.

JC Philippi, Eric Baum, Anthony Ryan, Jake Aleman, Clayton Criss, and Jeremy Tonelli all had at least one RBI in the inning. 

All told Malone held a 12-2 lead after the top of the sixth. 

That was more than enough run support for Devin Norton, who earned his third win of the year on the mound.

Broc Pickens recorded the final three outs in the seventh inning to close out the 12-2 Malone win. 

DETAILS

• Sophomore Devin Norton struck out nine Panther batters in the second game to push his season total out to a team-best 35. 
• Jake Aleman and Tyson Gingerich both had three hits on the afternoon. Gingerich also drew four walks, and was a perfect 3-3 on stolen base opportunities. 
• Eric Baum, Evan Balzano, and JC Philippi each had a pair of hits in the doubleheader. Balzano, Philippi, and Anthony Ryan all had three RBIs on the day. 
• Josh Salinas pitched three full innings of relief in the first game. He scattered just two hits, and allowed no runs to score.

Original source can be found here