CURRENT RECORD:  32-13  (15-5 AMC North)

 

Men' s Tennis - Malone loses to:
                                        Walsh University  9-0
                                        Grove City (PA) College  8-1
                                        Cedarville University  5-4
                                        Ohio Dominican University  7-2
                             CURRENT RECORD:   9-11  (4-3 AMC)

Women's Tennis - Malone defeats:
                                             Shawnee State University  8-1
                                  Malone loses to:
                                             Ohio Dominican University  8-1
                                  FINAL RECORD:  7-11  (1-4 AMC South)

Women's Golf - Malone finished second among four teams at the Westminster (PA) College Invitational last Monday

 

 

 

     The Malone College softball team began a busy week of competition by splitting a doubleheader at Cedarville University on Monday, falling 1-0 (8 innings) in the opener before taking the nightcap 3-2.  On Tuesday, the Pioneers swept a pair of games against Walsh University at home, winning game one 3-0 and game two 2-0.  Malone then traveled to Geneva (PA) College on Thursday and dropped both games of a doubleheader, losing the opener 4-3 and the nightcap 9-4.  Then, on Saturday, the Pioneers wrapped up their week by splitting a pair of games at Mt. Vernon Nazarene University, winning game one 6-5 before losing game two by a 6-3 final.  After the 4-4 week, Malone’s current record stands at 17-18 overall with an 7-7 mark in the AMC South Division.
     In Monday’s opener, Malone was shut out on just three hits in the narrow 1-0, eight-inning defeat.  Heather Jones (Sr., Lexington H.S.) made the first of her four starts on the week for the Pioneers, suffering the tough loss after striking out eight and allowing just one run on seven hits over eight innings pitched.
     In game two on Monday, Malone scored twice in the top of the third inning to take a 3-0 lead before holding on for the tight 3-2 win.  Cori Helm (Jr., East Brook H.S.) claimed her fourth win of the season after allowing just two runs on four hits over five innings pitched.  Jones earned her first save of the season after entering the game in the bottom of the seventh inning and retiring the side in order.  Kristen Cochran (So., Newcomerstown H.S.) went 2-3 at the plate, ripping an RBI triple in the third inning.
     In Tuesday’s opener against Walsh, Jones dominated on the mound, pitching a two-hit shutout to give Malone the 3-0 victory.  The Pioneers smacked seven hits in the game as Cochran clubbed a two-run single and Jones helped her own cause at the plate with a one-run double.
     Jones also started the nightcap against Walsh on Tuesday, recording her second shutout of the day after striking out three and allowing just four hits in the 2-0 victory.  Malone tallied six hits in the contest as Sarah Sweitzer (Sr., New Philadelphia H.S.) smacked an RBI double and Cochran crushed a solo home run.
     In game one against Geneva on Thursday, the Pioneers grabbed an early 2-0 lead before the Golden Tornadoes rallied to score three runs in the bottom of the sixth to take a 4-2 advantage.  Malone answered with one run in the top of the seventh but was unable to completely close the gap, falling by a 4-3 final.  Helm started on the mound and suffered the defeat after allowing four runs (two earned) on four hits over six innings pitched.  The Pioneers posted seven hits in the contest as Ashlee Locker (So., Strasburg H.S.) went 2-3 with a stolen base and an RBI single.  In addition, Katherine Green went 2-3 at the plate with a one-run double. 
     In Thursday’s nightcap, Geneva used a five-run fourth inning to take a commanding 7-2 lead before cruising to the 9-4 victory.  Kristen Houtz (Sr., Hoover H.S.) started on the mound and took the loss (1-3) after giving up five runs (four earned) on seven hits over 3.1 innings pitched. 
     In the opener against Mt. Vernon Nazarene, Malone scored five runs in the top of the third inning to take the lead before the Cougars answered with two runs in the bottom of the inning and three more runs in the fourth to tie the game.  The Pioneers fought back though, scoring once in the top of the fifth before hanging on for the  6-5 victory.  Jones started and earned her third victory of the week (9-5) after allowing five runs (three earned) on five hits over five innings pitched.  Houtz claimed her first save of the year after entering the game in the sixth inning and shutting out Mt. Vernon Nazarene over the final two innings.  Malone pounded out eleven hits in the contest as Sweitzer smacked a two-run triple and Kathryn Bzdafka (So., Avon Lake H.S.) went 2-3 with an RBI single. 
     In Saturday’s finale, Malone scored three times in the top of the first but then was held scoreless over the final six innings en route to the 6-3 defeat.  Helm suffered the loss (4-7) after allowing six runs on seven hits over two innings pitched.  Sweitzer went 1-3 in the game, ripping a two-run single in the top of the first, one of just three Pioneer hits in the contest.
     This week, Malone (17-18, 7-7 AMC S) will wrap up its regular season when the team hosts NCAA Div. II Ashland University (31-17) on Tuesday in a 3:30 p.m. doubleheader.  Malone will compete in the AMC Tournament May 4-5 (site, pairings, seedings, times TBA).
 
Baseball Posts 0-4 Week Against Tough Competition; Bob Dubovec Breaks Malone Single Season Hits And RBI Records

 

     The Malone College baseball team played a pair of non-conference, nine-inning contests against two NCAA Division I schools early last week, falling 7-1 to Kent State University (away) on Tuesday before suffering a 5-2 loss at Youngstown State University on Wednesday.  The Pioneers then traveled to Tiffin University on Saturday where they suffered a pair of heartbreaking one-run losses, falling 13-12 in the opener and 7-6 in the nightcap.  A doubleheader scheduled for Friday against Myers University was cancelled.  Despite the 0-4 week (all non-conference games), Malone maintained its first place standing in the AMC North Division with an overall record of 32-13 and a 15-5 mark in the division.
     With two hits and an RBI in game two against Tiffin on Saturday, Bob Dubovec (Jr., Kenston H.S.) broke two Malone single season records for both hits and runs batted in (RBI).  Dubovec’s new single season marks of 70 hits and 55 RBI break the previous records of 68 hits, set by current head coach Tom Crank in 1988, and 54 RBI, which was set by Jared Dever in 2001.  With 16 doubles on the year, Dubovec needs just two more to break Owen Roberts’ 1994 single season record of 17 doubles. 
     Following last Tuesday’s game, it was announced that for the third-consecutive week, the Pioneers have moved up in the NAIA’s top 25 poll and are now ranked 14th in the nation (ratings announced each Wednesday).
     Against Kent State, Malone was held to just one run on five hits and committed three errors in the 7-1 defeat.  Josh McKeivier (So., Strasburg Franklin H.S.) started on the mound and suffered the loss after surrendering six runs (five earned) on ten hits over 4.1 innings.   Anthony Barson (Sr., Timken H.S.) went 2-2 at the plate with one stolen base and scored the Pioneers’ only run of the game on Alton Thompson’s (Sr., Coshocton H.S.) fifth-inning RBI single.
     Against Youngstown State, Malone fell behind 4-0 after six innings before plating two runs in top of the seventh to trim the Penguins’ lead to just two.  Youngstown State answered with one run in the bottom of the seventh and then managed to escape with the 5-2 victory after striking out two Pioneer batters with the bases loaded in the top of the ninth inning.  Adam Boudler (Fr., Louisville H.S.) started and took the loss (4-2) for Malone after allowing four runs on seven hits over six innings pitched.  The Pioneers recorded five hits in the contest as Dubovec ripped an RBI double and Scott McIlvain (Fr., Marlington H.S.) went 1-3 with one run scored and one stolen base.
     In game one on Saturday, Malone trailed 9-3 after just two innings before posting five runs in the fifth inning and four more runs in the sixth to take a 12-10 lead.  The Pioneers then maintained this two-run advantage until the bottom of the seventh when Tiffin rallied, scoring three times to earn the 13-12 walk-off victory.  Anthony Barson suffered his first loss of the season (5-1) after allowing the three runs (two earned) on four hits over the final two innings of the game.  Malone pounded out 14 hits in the contest as Dubovec went 4-4 with six RBI, crushing a three-run homer in the top of the sixth inning. 
     In game two on Saturday, Malone held a 6-0 lead entering the bottom of the fourth before Tiffin rallied, scoring four times in the inning to cut the Pioneer lead to just two.  The Dragons were then held scoreless over the next two innings before once again plating three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to steal the 7-6 victory.  McKeivier took the loss (4-4) after allowing the three late runs on three hits over the final 1.2 innings.  Malone smacked 10 hits in the game including Dubovec’s record-breaking RBI single in the top of the third inning.
     This week, Malone (32-13, 15-5 AMC N) will travel to Saint Vincent (PA) College (17-20, 9-9 AMC N) on Wednesday for a 1:00 p.m. doubleheader before returning home to host Saint Vincent in two more games on Saturday, also scheduled for 1:00 p.m.  

Men's Tennis Team Loses Four Matches On The Week