After having three of its four scheduled contests with Point Park (PA) University postponed due to poor weather conditions over Easter weekend, the Malone College baseball team returned to action last Tuesday with a make-up tripleheader at Point Park.  Malone claimed narrow victories of 3-2 and 6-5 in the first two contests of the busy day before Point Park was able to salvage the nightcap by a final score of 7-5.  The Pioneers then played host to Myers University on Friday afternoon and recorded victories of 7-1 and 13-6 (Friday’s contests were originally scheduled to be played at Myers but poor field conditions caused the games to be moved to Malone’s Bob Starcher Field).  The Pioneers and Mustangs faced off in two more games on Saturday with Malone winning the opener 3-0 and Myers taking game two by the final score of 5-3 (8 innings).  Following the 5-2 week, Malone is now 15-19 overall and 5-3 in the AMC North.
     In Tuesday’s opener, Point Park jumped out to an early 2-0 lead with solo runs in the top of the first and third innings (Malone was considered the home team for game one of the tripleheader).  Malone answered back in the bottom of the third, cutting Point Park’s lead to one as senior Josh Spencer (Canton Central Catholic H.S.) scored on a fielder’s choice by sophomore Mike Tozzi (Sandy Valley H.S.).  The score then remained unchanged until the bottom of the sixth inning when junior pinch runner Chris Mandeville (Tuslaw H.S.) tied the game at 2-2 after stealing third base and then later crossing the plate following an error by the Point Park catcher.  Tozzi came through once again in the bottom of the seventh as he clubbed a game-winning, walk-off double that scored Spencer from second base to give Malone the dramatic 3-2 win.  Sophomore Adam Boudler (Louisville H.S.) tossed a scoreless seventh inning in relief to record his second victory of the season.  Malone smacked 10 hits in the contest as Spencer went 3-4 at the plate with two runs scored while senior Bob Dubovec (Kenston H.S.), junior John Stallings (Louisville H.S.) and sophomore Zach Zifzal (Meadowbrook H.S.) each tallied two singles apiece.
     In game two on Tuesday, Point Park scored four times in the bottom of the second inning to claim an early 4-0 advantage.  Malone then tallied two runs in the third inning and two more runs in the top of the fifth to tie the game at 4-4.  Point Park answered back quickly, though, reclaiming the lead at 5-4 with a single run in the bottom of the fifth.  However, Malone once again staged a late rally with a pair of runs in the top of the seventh as Spencer put his team in front 6-5 with a sacrifice fly to left field that scored junior pinch-runner Jimmy Dowling (Tuslaw H.S.).  Boudler then came on in relief in the bottom of the seventh and sealed the 6-5 Malone victory after mowing down the heart of Point Park’s batting order for his first career save.  Sophomore Ryan Hartong (Dalton H.S.) started on the mound for Malone and recorded his third win of the season after giving up five runs (one earned) on six hits over six innings pitched.  Offensively, Mandeville crushed a two-run homer while sophomore Sam Campitella (Jackson H.S.) went 2-3 at the plate with two RBI and one run scored.
     In Tuesday’s nightcap, Malone entered the bottom of the third inning leading 4-0 before Point Park exploded for seven runs to take a 7-4 lead.  Point Park was then able to maintain this three-run advantage until the bottom of the seventh inning as Malone threatened by loading the bases with one out.  Malone was only able to come away with one run, though, before Point Park escaped the jam and preserved the 7-5 victory by recording the final two outs of the game.  Junior Zach Winkhart (Canton Central Catholic H.S.) started on the mound and took the loss after giving up five runs (none earned) on three hits over two and two-thirds innings pitched.  Dubovec and sophomore Scott McIlvain (Marlington H.S.) each went 1-3 at the plate with two RBI.
     In Friday’s opener against Myers, Dowling pitched six dominate innings to lead the Pioneers to a 7-1 victory.  The 5’9” southpaw held the Mustangs to just two hits and no runs while striking out seven for his third win of the season (3-2).  Malone recorded seven hits in the contest as Stallings went 2-4 at the plate with two runs scored and three stolen bases.  In addition, McIlvain drove in three runs with a double and a sacrifice fly while Dubovec plated two runners with a single and a sacrifice fly.
     Against Myers in game two on Friday, the Pioneers scored three times in the bottom of the second inning to take a 4-1 lead.  The Mustangs tallied one run in the top of the fourth to cut the deficit to 4-2 before Malone exploded for seven runs in the bottom of the inning, highlighted by junior Scott Taylor’s (Lake H.S.) two-out grand slam home run.  Myers came back with three runs in the top of the fifth and one run in the seventh, but it was not nearly enough as the Pioneers rolled to the 13-6 win.  Winkhart started and recorded his second win of the season (2-3) after giving up two runs on four hits over four innings pitched.  Sophomore Mike Yost (Marlington H.S.) then entered the game and tossed three innings of relief for his first save.  Malone blasted twelve hits in the contest as Mandeville, Campitella, sophomore Jake Booth (Toronto H.S.) and junior Troy Richeson (Minerva H.S.) each tallied two hits.
     In game one with Myers on Saturday, Hartong and Boudler combined for a three-hit shutout.  The Pioneers were also held to only three hits in the game, but the squad was able to manufacture solo runs in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings for the 3-0 win.  Hartong notched his second victory of the week (4-2) after pitching six shutout innings while allowing just three hits and striking out three.  Boudler picked up his second save after entering the game in relief and recording the final three outs of the contest.  Zifzal and Richeson each smacked run-scoring singles while Booth swiped two bases.
     In Saturday’s finale, the Pioneers led 3-1 after five innings before Myers was able to score twice in the top of the sixth to tie the contest at 3-3.  The score then remained deadlocked until the top of the eighth inning as the Mustangs plated two runs with a two-out single to pull ahead 5-3.  Malone threatened in the bottom of the inning by loading the bases with two outs but Spencer was called out on strikes to end the game.  Boudler started on the mound and took the loss (2-5) after giving up five runs (none earned) on seven hits while striking out eight over eight innings of work.  Spencer and sophomore Jon Lutton (Louisville H.S.) each posted two hits in the contest.
     This week, Malone (15-19, 5-3 AMC N) will travel to NCAA Division I Kent State University (14-20, 6-6 MAC) on Tuesday at 3:00 p.m. for a single nine-inning contest with the Golden Flashes.  The Pioneers will then return home on Wednesday afternoon for a 1:00 p.m. doubleheader with NAIA #13 Ohio Dominican University (24-6, 10-2 AMC S). 

Men’s Golf Team Wins Walsh Invitational

     The Malone College men’s golf team won the Walsh University Invitational among a nine-team field at the Raintree Country Club last Tuesday in an event that was shortened from two days to one due to weather.  The Pioneers tallied a score of 304 for the victory as Walsh finished at 317.  Mt. Vernon Nazarene University and Roberts Wesleyan (NY) University tied for fourth at 320 while the Malone B team rounded out the top five at 327.
     Garret Barbush (Sr., Manheim, PA) led the Malone A squad with a score of 74 which tied for medalist honors at the event (Barbush lost in a tiebreaker though).  Jordan Grubb (Sr., Lake H.S.) and Scotty Jones (Sr., East Palestine H.S.) followed with rounds of 76 while Darren Phipps (Jr., Lake H.S.) carded a 78 and Grant Gates (Sr., River Valley H.S.) posted an 84.
     The Malone B team was paced by Ben Smith (Fr., Carrollton H.S.) and Michael Strayer (Fr., Riverside H.S.) who recorded 80’s.  Mark Zimmerman (Fr., GlenOak H.S.) posted an 82, Matt Strayer (Jr., Riverside H.S.) had an 85 and Nate Garwood (Sr., Ridgedale H.S.) finished with a 90.  In addition, Michael Johnson (So., Lake H.S.) competed as an individual and posted a score of 83.
     This week, Malone will compete at the Indiana Wesleyan University Invitational on Monday and Tuesday and will close out the week by hosting its own Malone Invitational on Friday and Saturday at the Tannenhauf Golf Course in Alliance, starting at 10:00 a.m.

     The Malone College men’s and women’s track & field teams competed at the Sea Ray Relays in Knoxville, Tennessee on Thursday and Friday and then also competed at the Slippery Rock (PA) University Invitational on Saturday.  In addition, the team sent several athletes to compete in the LaSalle Bank Columbus Half Marathon on Saturday.
     At the Sea Ray Relays, seven athletes posted NAIA qualifying standards.  For the men’s team, Brady West (Sr., West Muskingum H.S.) qualified after scoring 6194 points in the decathlon (8th place) while Chris Sinick (Fr., Field H.S.) and Nik Schweikert (So., Beavercreek H.S.) qualified in the 1500 meters with times of 3:54.78 (12th place) and 3:56.64 (16th place), respectively. In addition, Josh Gortney (Jr., Sandy Valley H.S.) turned in a personal best mark of 15’ 1” in the pole vault (11th place).
     For the women at the Sea Ray Relays, Brooke Gasser (Sr., Norwayne H.S.) qualified in the heptathlon with a personal-best 4529 points (7th place) while Laura McElrath (Jr., Tallmadge H.S.) also qualified with 4163 points (9th place).  Holly Motter (So., Mt. Union, PA) qualified in the triple jump with a 37’ 2” effort (24th place) while Kalie Hauenstein (Fr., Ashland H.S.) earned a trip to NAIA nationals with a time of 18:10.50 in the 5000 meters (13th place).
     At Slippery Rock, numerous outstanding efforts were posted by both squads.  For the women, Rebekah Genter (So., Crestview H.S.) ran a time of 18:45.89 in the 5000 meters (1st place) while Faith Nicholson (Sr., McMurray, PA) posted a 5’1” effort in the high jump (4th place).  Nicholson also jumped 9’0” in the pole vault (5th place).  In addition, Emily Alderfer (Fr., Urbana H.S.) threw 37’8” in the shot put (37’8”).
     For the men at Slippery Rock, Shane McLaughlin (Fr., Caldwell H.S.) finished first in the high jump with a leap of 6’5” while Trent Gardner (Fr., Northwest H.S.) was seventh at 5’9”.  Dan McCracken (Fr., Anna H.S.) ran a time of 16:14.26 in the 5000 meters (4th place) while Jeb Ford (So, Minerva H.S.) posted an 11.43 in the 100 meters (6th place).  In the 400-meter hurdle event, Jay Brueckner (Jr., Crestview H.S.) ran a time of 57.05 (7th place) while Andy Preston (Fr., Bradford, PA) crossed the tape at 57.53 (9th place).  In addition, Caleb Marburger (Fr., Tusky Valley H.S.) threw a personal best of 44’7” in the shot put (11th place) while Chad Armstrong threw 157’3” in the hammer throw (4th place).
     At the Columbus Half Marathon, Justin Baum (Jr., Kenston H.S.) placed sixth overall with a time of 1:10.24.  In the women’s standings, Carrie Hart (Sr., LaBrae H.S.) finished eighth overall in 1:28.57.  Both athletes qualified for the NAIA national meet with their times.
     This week, the Malone teams will compete at the American Mideast Conference Championships in Houghton, New York on Friday and Saturday.

     Despite mother nature’s best efforts, the Malone College softball team was finally able to begin American Mideast Conference South Division play last week as the squad posted a 2-6 record in eight AMC South contests (the Pioneers had four conference games scheduled earlier in the season but all had been postponed due to inclement weather conditions).  Malone began the week on Tuesday with a pair of tough losses at Mount Vernon Nazarene University.  The Pioneers suffered a 7-6, eight-inning defeat in game one followed by a 6-3 loss in game two.  The squad then traveled to Shawnee State University on Thursday for a pair of make-up games with the Bears, dropping game one 9-0 in five innings before bouncing back to take game two 2-0.  On Friday, the Pioneers dropped two games at Ohio Dominican University falling 4-1 in the opener and 8-0 (5 innings) in game two.  The squad then returned home on Saturday to split a pair of contests with Cedarville University, losing 7-5 in game one before taking the finale by a final score of 4-1.  Following the 2-6 week, Malone’s overall record now stands at 7-17 with a 2-6 mark in the AMC South.
     In Tuesday’s opener at Mount Vernon Nazarene, the Pioneers scored twice in the top of the sixth inning to tie the game at 3-3 and then plated two more runs in the top of the seventh to pull ahead 5-3.  The Cougars rallied in the bottom of the inning, though, scoring a pair of runs to knot the game at 5-5 and send the contest into extra innings.  The Pioneers answered with one run in the top of the eighth inning on a two-out, run-scoring triple by sophomore Caitlin Ott (Glendale, AZ).  However, Mount Vernon was able to tally two more runs in the bottom of the eighth for the dramatic 7-6 extra-inning win.  Sophomore Ashleigh Ralston (Wadsworth H.S.) went the distance on the mound for Malone and suffered the loss after surrendering seven runs (six earned) on 11 hits over seven and two-thirds innings pitched.  Freshman Morgan Heacock (Mt. Gilead H.S.) went 3-4 at the plate while junior Ashlee Locker (Strasburg H.S.) and sophomore Elisha Bierman (Keystone H.S.) each smacked two-run doubles.
     In game two with Mount Vernon Nazarene, the Pioneers looked to be in control after tallying a run in the top of the sixth inning to increase their advantage to 3-1.  However, the Cougars were able to fight back in the bottom of the sixth inning as the home team tallied five runs to pull ahead for the 6-3, come-from-behind win.  Junior Kathryn Bzdafka (Avon Lake H.S.) started on the mound and took the loss after tossing six innings, giving up six runs (three earned) on 15 hits while striking out five and walking three.  Malone tallied six hits in the game as Ott and Ralston each delivered run-scoring singles.
 In Thursday’s opener with Shawnee State, the Bears plated eight runs in the bottom of the first inning en route to a 9-0, five-inning victory.  Senior starting pitcher Cori Helm (Marion, IN) lasted just two-thirds of an inning on the mound as she surrendered seven runs on four hits.  The Pioneer offense also struggled in game one of the make-up doubleheader as the squad mustered just two hits.
     In Thursday’s nightcap with Shawnee, Malone manufactured solo runs in the fifth and sixth innings to pull ahead 2-0.  These two runs would turn out to be all junior starting pitcher Kathryn Bzdafka would need as she tossed seven shutout innings for the 2-0 win.  Bzdafka scattered ten hits in the contest while striking out two and walking none.  Locker broke the scoreless tie in the fifth with an RBI double and junior Rebekah Martin (Lakewood H.S.) added an insurance run in the sixth with a run-scoring single.
     In game one against Ohio Dominican on Friday, the Panthers used a three-run fifth inning to pull ahead for the 4-1 win.  Bzdafka went the distance on the mound, taking the loss after giving up four runs (three earned) on eight hits while striking out five and walking two over seven innings of work.  The Pioneers were held to just four hits in the contest as Ralston drove in Malone’s lone run with a two-out double in the top of the fifth inning.
     Against Ohio Dominican in game two on Friday, the Pioneers were shut out on four hits and committed two errors in the 8-0, five-inning defeat.  The Panthers tallied three runs in the second inning and four more runs in the fifth en route to the victory.  Helm started on the mound and took the loss (3-6) after giving up eight runs on ten hits.
 In game one with Cedarville on Saturday, the Yellow Jackets scored six runs over the first three innings to take a 6-2 lead.  Malone rallied with solo runs in the fifth, sixth, and seventh innings but could not completely close the gap as Cedarville held on for the 7-5 win.  Trailing 7-4 in the bottom of the seventh inning, the Pioneers loaded the bases with no outs but were only able to muster one run.  Ralston started and suffered the loss (1-3) after giving up three runs on five hits in just one-third of an inning.  Malone smacked nine hits in the contest as freshman Leslie McCammon (Wadsworth H.S.) went 3-3 at the plate with a pair of doubles and Heacock drove in two runs.
     In Saturday’s finale against Cedarville, the Pioneers entered the bottom of the sixth inning trailing 1-0 but then rallied to score four runs on a pair of two-run doubles by Bierman and freshman Laura Blackburn (Worthington H.S.).  Bzdafka picked up her second victory of the week (3-7) after limiting the Yellow Jackets to just one unearned run on three hits over seven innings pitched.
     This week, Malone (7-17, 2-6 AMC S) will travel to local rival Walsh University (19-20, 5-3 AMC S) on Tuesday for a 3:30 p.m. doubleheader with the Cavaliers.  The squad will then return home on Friday for two games with the University of Rio Grande (11-11, 2-4 AMC S), also starting at 3:30 p.m.  On Saturday, Malone will travel to Mount Vernon Nazarene University (18-4, 4-2 AMC S) for a single game with the Cougars at 1:00 p.m.  Then later that afternoon, the squad will then take on Geneva College (19-12, 0-2 AMC N) in another single contest, starting at 3:00 p.m. (game will also be played at Mount Vernon Nazarene).

Women's Tennis Defeats Ursuline 7-2, Loses To Ohio Dominican 9-0
  
    The Malone College women's tennis team earned a 7-2 victory at home over Ursuline College last Tuesday but lost another home match to Ohio Dominican University on Friday by the score of 9-0.  With the 1-1 week, the team is now 4-10 overall and 2-2 in the AMC.    
    Scores for the matches (in order – Ursuline, ODU) were as follows:
#1 Ann Marie Burton (So., Wadsworth H.S.)     W 6-2, 6-0        L 6-2, 6-0     
#2 Cami Urdea (Jr., Brasov, Romania)               W 6-1, 6-0        L 6-3, 5-7/10-4
#3 Emily Farls (Sr., Beaver, PA)                        W 6-0, 6-1         L 7-5, 6-3            
#4 April Victor (Fr., Tallmadge H.S.)                  W 6-3, 6-2         L 6-1, 6-1
#5 Lynsey Fuller (Fr., Canton South H.S.)         W 6-1, 6-2        L 6-4, 5-7/10-6
#6 Jackie Quilter (Jr., GlenOak H.S.)                 L (forfeit – inj.)    ----------
#6 Erin Martin (Jr., Beaver, PA)                            ---------            L 6-1, 6-0
#1 Burton/Urdea                                                W 8-2                 L 8-2           
#2 Farls/Victor                                                   W 8-1                 L 10-8
#3 Fuller/Quilter                                                  L (forfeit – inj.)    ----------
#3 Fuller/Martin                                                     ---------            L 8-6
    This week, Malone will host Carlow (PA) University on Monday at 4:00 p.m.  The team will finish out the week with three away matches – at Walsh University on Tuesday (3:00 p.m.), at Tiffin University on Wednesday (2:00 p.m.) and at Roberts Wesleyan (NY) College on Friday (3:30 p.m.).

 

     The Malone College men's tennis team lost to Walsh University 9-0 away last Tuesday and then lost to The College of Wooster 8-1 in an away match on Wednesday.  With the 0-2 week, Malone now stands at 8-7 overall on the season and 2-2 in the AMC.
     Scores for the matches (in order – Walsh, Wooster) were as follows:
#1 Jason Christman (Sr., McKinley H.S.)    L 4-6, 6-3, 5-1         L 6-4, 6-3
#2 Kyle Bowers (So., Norwalk H.S.)          L 6-3, 6-4                W 7-5, 6-2
#3 Tim Springirth (So., Erie, PA)                 L 6-2, 6-3                L 6-2, 6-2
#4 Nathaniel Rodd  (Fr., Canton, OH)         L 6-2, 6-2                L 6-2, 6-0
#5 Dan Yard (Jr., Louisville H.S.)               L 6-1, 6-0                L 6-3, 6-0
#6 Tim Frazier (Fr., Beaver Falls, PA)        L 6-1, 6-4                L 6-3, 6-4
#1 Bowers/Springirth                                 L 8-0                       L 8-6
#2 Christman/Rodd                                     L 8-3                       L 9-7
#3 Yard/Frazier                                          L 8-4                       L 8-1
     This week, the team will play at Grove City (PA) College on Monday at 3:00 p.m. and will host Ohio Dominican University on Wednesday at 2:00 p.m.  The team will close out the week by competing at Cedarville University at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday.