Baseball - Malone defeats:
                                 Myers University  15-1 (five innings)
                                 Myers University  13-12 (eight innings)  
                                 Seton Hill (PA) University  7-5 (eight innings)   

                    Malone loses to:
                                 Seton Hill (PA) University  2-1

                    CURRENT RECORD:  26-7  (10-4 AMC North)

                            Seton Hill (PA) University  11-8
                            Seton Hill (PA) University  8-6 
                            Urbana University  8-0
                 Malone loses to:
                            Urbana University  7-5
                 CURRENT RECORD:  11-12 (4-4 AMC South)

 

Men's Golf - Malone (A) tied for fifth among 18 teams at the North Greenville (SC) College Invitational last Monday and Tuesday

 

Men's and Women's Track & Field - Malone women finished 8th among 13 teams at the All-Ohio Championships in Columbus, Ohio last Friday and Saturday; Malone men placed 9th among 11 teams

Women's Tennis - Malone defeats:
                                              Geneva (PA) College  7-2
                                  Malone loses to:
                                              Walsh University  9-1
                                              Oberlin College  8-1
                                  CURRENT RECORD:  6-9  (0-2 AMC South)

Baseball Posts 3-1 Week, Climbs To #17 In NAIA Rankings

     The Malone College baseball team kept rolling last week as the squad scored 28 runs in a doubleheader sweep of Myers University on Tuesday (at Malone), winning the opener 15-1 (in just five innings) before escaping with a 13-12 eight-inning victory in the nightcap.  Then on Saturday, the team split a pair of conference match-ups at Seton Hill (PA) University, taking game one 7-5 in eight innings before falling by a 2-1 score in game two.  A pair of home games slated for last Friday against Seton Hill was postponed due to threatening weather and rescheduled for this Monday (4/10) at 1:00 p.m.  With yet another successful week (3-1 record), the Pioneers improved their overall record to 26-7 with a 10-4 mark in the AMC North Division.    
     Following last Tuesday’s doubleheader, it was announced that after two consecutive weeks of being ranked at number 19 in the NAIA’s top 25 poll, the Pioneers jumped up two spots and are currently ranked 17th in the nation (ratings announced each Wednesday).
     In last Tuesday’s opener against Myers, Malone jumped out to an early 4-0 lead and never looked back en route to a dominating 15-1 win.  Korey Heppeard (Sr., Van Wert H.S.) started on the mound and earned his fifth victory of the season (5-0) after allowing one run on three hits over four innings pitched.  The Pioneer offense overwhelmed Myers as ten different Malone batters recorded at least one RBI in the five-inning contest. 
     In game two on Tuesday, Malone took a 10-0 lead after just three innings before Myers answered with nine runs in the top of the fourth inning and three more runs in the top of the fifth to take a 12-10 advantage.  The Pioneers fought back though, tying the game at 12 in the bottom of the seventh on a one-out single by Troy Richeson (So., Minerva H.S.).  Then, in the bottom of the eighth, Josh Spencer (Jr., Canton Cent. Catholic H.S.) delivered a clutch two-out single, driving-in Bob Dubovec (Jr., Kenston H.S.) to give Malone the 13-12 victory.  Adam Boudler (Fr., Louisville H.S.) recorded his second win of the year (2-1) after pitching a scoreless eighth inning.  With two stolen bases in the contest, Jarrod Stahl (Sr., Kenmore H.S.) set a new Malone single-season stolen base record at 24, breaking the previous mark of 22 stolen bases held by 2005 graduate Billy Kern.
     In game one against Seton Hill on Saturday, the Pioneers scored twice in the top of the eighth inning to take a 7-5 lead and then were able claim the extra-inning victory after Anthony Barson (Sr., Timken H.S.) pitched a scoreless, 1-2-3 bottom of the eighth to claim his fifth win of the season (5-0).  Malone smacked 10 hits in the game as Alton Thompson (Sr., Coshocton H.S.) went 3-4, ripping an RBI single in the top of the eighth inning that put the Pioneers ahead.
     In Saturday’s finale, Malone scored once in the top of the first to grab the lead but then was held scoreless over the final six innings en route to the 2-1 defeat.  Dubovec suffered the tough loss (4-3) after surrendering just two runs on five hits over 5.1 innings pitched.  Scott McIlvain (Fr., Marlington H.S.) went 1-3, plating Malone’s only run of the game with a one-out RBI single in the first inning.       
     This week, Malone (26-7, 10-4 AMC N) will host a make-up doubleheader against Seton Hill University (19-14, 4-4 AMC N) on Monday at 1:00 p.m. before facing Capital University (6-11) in a pair of games at home on Tuesday at 1:00 p.m.  Then on Friday, the squad will continue conference play by traveling to Point Park (PA) University (11-16, 3-3 AMC N) for two games at 1:00 p.m. before returning home on Saturday to host Point Park in another doubleheader also scheduled for 1:00 p.m.  

Men's Tennis Team Posts 3-0 Record For The Week

Softball Sweeps Seton Hill, Splits Pair At Urbana

     The Malone College softball team took two games from Seton Hill (PA) University at home last Wednesday, winning the opener 11-8 and the nightcap 8-6.  The Pioneers then traveled to Urbana University for two games on Saturday, falling 7-5 in game one before dominating game two 8-0 in six innings.  Two games scheduled for last Monday at home against Ursuline College were postponed due to threatening weather and have been rescheduled for this Tuesday at 3:30 p.m.  With the 3-1 week, Malone improved its overall record to 11-12 with a 4-4 mark in the AMC South Division.
     In Wednesday’s opener against Seton Hill, the Pioneers trailed 8-4 before exploding for seven runs in the bottom of sixth inning en route to the 11-8 victory.  Heather Jones (Sr., Lexington H.S.) posted her fifth victory of the season after entering the game in the third inning and allowing just three runs on four hits over the final five innings of the contest.  The Pioneers posted six of their twelve hits in the big sixth inning as Katherine Green (Sr., Oak Harbor H.S.) crushed a three-run home run and Brittany Mast (Fr., Kidron Cent. Christian) ripped a two-run single. 
     In game two on Wednesday, Malone grabbed an early 7-1 lead before withstanding a late Seton Hill rally to escape with the 8-6 win.  Kathryn Bzdafka (So., Avon Lake H.S.) started on the mound and posted her second win on the season (2-2) after surrendering six runs (five earned) on eight hits over four innings pitched.  The Pioneers pounded out 13 hits in the game as Kristen Cochran (So., Newcomerstown H.S.) went 2-4 with an RBI single and an RBI double.  In addition, Ashley Locker (So., Strasburg H.S.) ripped a one-run double and scored two runs. 
     In game one against Urbana, the Pioneers were unable to overcome an early 6-1 deficit, falling to the Blue Knights by a 7-5 final.  Jones started and suffered the loss (5-3) after giving up six runs on seven hits over four innings pitched.  Offensively, Holly Christopher (So., Garfield H.S.) clubbed a two-run homer and Bzdafka went 3-4, smacking a two-run double. 
     In Saturday’s finale, Malone jumped out to an early lead, scoring three runs in each of the first two innings and then cruised to the 8-0 six-inning win.  Cori Helm (Jr., East Brook H.S.) dominated from the mound for the Pioneers, recording her second victory of the year (2-4) after pitching a two-hit, six inning shutout.  Sarah Sweitzer (Sr., New Philadelphia H.S.) had a huge game at the plate, going 2-5 with a three-run homer and a two-run double.  In addition, Bzdafka went 2-4, ripping a pair of doubles.
     This week, Malone (11-12, 4-4 AMC S) will host a make-up doubleheader against Ursuline College (4-15, 0-4 AMC N) on Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. before facing Shawnee State University (17-6, 4-0 AMC S) in a pair of games at home on Saturday at 1:00 p.m.

Men’s Golf Ties For Fifth At North Greenville Invitational; Scotty Jones Ties For Individual Medalist

     The Malone College men’s golf team earned a tie for fifth place among an elite eighteen-team field at the North Greenville (SC) College Invitational on Monday and Tuesday. 
     Severe storms and high winds delayed play on day one for four hours and resulted in difficult course conditions when play finally began.  The Pioneers, though, were up to the challenge tallying a score of 910 (323-305) for a fifth-place tie with Belmont Abbey (NC) College (315-313) and Spring Hill (AL) College.  The University of Mobile (AL) won the event with a score of 605 while the University of South Carolina-Upstate took second at 619 (314-305) and North Greenville placed third with a score of 623 (317-306).  Lander (SC) University was fourth at 627 (323-304).
     Scotty Jones (Jr., East Palestine H.S.) paced the team and finished in a first-place tie with a score of 149 (74-75).  Jones then went to a sudden death playoff to determine the individual tournament medalist, where he came up short on the first hole to earn a second-place overall finish.  Grant Gates (Jr., River Valley H.S.) tied for 24th place with a 157 (79-78).  Other Pioneer scores included Darren Phipps (So., Lake H.S.) at 161 (87-74), Scott Shenker (Sr., Twinsburg H.S) at 161 (83-78), and Michael Johnson (Fr., Lake H.S.) at 168.
     This week, Malone will compete at the Walsh University Invitational on Monday and Tuesday (10:00 each day) and at the Mt. Vernon Nazarene University Invitational on Friday and Saturday (11:00 a.m. each day).

 

Women's Track & Field Team Places Eighth At All-Ohio Championships, Men Take Ninth

     The Malone College men's and women's track & field teams competed at the All-Ohio Championships in Columbus, Ohio (hosted by The Ohio State University) last Friday and Saturday as the women's squad took eighth place among 13 teams while the men's squad placed ninth among its 11-team field.
     The Malone women tallied 32 points as The University of Akron won the women's meet with 189.5 points.  Ohio State was second (141.5), Bowling Green State University placed third (99), Kent State University came in fourth (92) and The University of Cincinnati rounded out the top five (82.5).
     The Pioneer men posted 11 points as Ohio State won the men's meet with 187 points.  Akron placed second (171), Cincinnati took third (169), Kent State University was fourth (98) and the University of Findlay rounded out the top five (70).
     The highlight of the meet for the Malone women was Laura McElrath's (So., Tallmadge H.S.) victory in the heptathlon among an eight-team field including all NCAA Div. I athletes with the exception of teammate Sarah Nagle (Sr., Lakeside H.S.) who placed eighth (3260 points).  McElrath posted 4272 points to defeat the runner-up from Akron who had 4253 points.  McElrath's events with marks included the 100-meter hurdles (15.44), high jump (5'1"), shot put (24' 3.75"), 200 meters (26.19), long jump (17' 3.50"), javelin (76' 0") and 800 meters (2:30.34).  McElrath's total was a strong NAIA provisional qualifying mark which should qualify her for the NAIA outdoor national meet next month.
     Rebekah Genter (Jr., Crestview H.S.) earned the next highest finish for the women with a fourth-place effort in the 5000 meters in 18:41.58.  Brooke Gasser (Jr., Norwayne H.S.) earned a fifth-place finish in the javelin (124' 2").
     Ashley Currence (Jr., East Canton H.S.) finished sixth in the triple jump with a mark of 35' 8" while the women's 4x400-meter relay team of Kim Winton (Fr., Medina H.S.), Brittany Davies (Jr., Cedarville H.S.), Kristina Barrett (Sr., Licking Valley H.S.) and Vallie Scott (Fr., West Branch H.S.) also posted a six-place finish in a time of 4:07.19.
     Seventh-place finishes went to Katie Bagley (Fr., Crestview H.S.) in the 1500 meters (4:53.32) and to Gasser in the long jump at 17' 4".
     Holly Motter (Fr., Mt. Union, PA) took eighth place in the triple jump (34' .25") while the women's 4x100-meter relay unit of Scott, Motter, Barrett and Gasser took eighth in a time of 52.30 seconds.
     For the men's team, Brady West's (Jr., West Muskingum H.S.) second-place finish in the decathlon among a 10-team NCAA Div. I field was the highlight for the squad.  West posted a total of 5878 points with the following marks: 100 meters (12.25), long jump (21' 1"), shot put (36' 6.75"), high jump (5' 8.75"), 400 meters (53.40), 110-meter hurdles (16.63), discus (114' 0"), pole vault (11' 5.25"), javelin (160' 3") and 1500 meters (5:07.17).
     The only other men's athlete to finish in the top eight of an event was Nik Schweikert (Fr., Beavercreek H.S.) who placed sixth in the 1500 meters in 4:01.03.
     In addition to competing at the All-Ohio Championships last weekend, Malone College hosted a race walk event on Friday evening in which race walkers from Malone, Walsh University and Geneva (PA) College competed along with several local participants.
     In the women's 3000-meter race walk, Malone seniors Lindsey Hipp (Amherst H.S.) and Ashley Thomas (Jr., Anchorage, AK) finished 1-2 in the event with times of 15:21.23 and 15:30.92, respectively, both of which were NAIA automatic qualifying times.  Additionally,  junior Missy Walker (Piqua H.S.) also walked an NAIA national automatic qualifying time at 17:17.72 for third place overall.  Brittani Lyons (Jr., Elizabeth City, NC) posted an NAIA provisional time of 18:36.19.
    In the men's 5000-meter race walk, Malone junior Brad Sinick (Field H.S.) set a personal best and new Malone record in walking away from the rest of the men with a time of 26:10.43.  Sinick has now dropped his PR over four minutes since last year's national meet and has automatically qualified for this year's nationals.  Bryan Lopes (so., Dublin Coffman H.S.), Joe Carmany(Jr., New Middletown Springfield H.S.) and Jeremiah Stauffer (Jr., Youngstown, OH) all provisionally qualified with times of 29:56.33, 30:13.10 and 30:28.02, respectively.
    This week, the Malone teams will send athletes to the Sea Ray Relays in Knoxville, Tennessee Thursday through Saturday and also to the Slippery Rock (PA) University Invitational on Saturday (10:00 a.m.).

Women’s Tennis Wins One Of Three On The Week