Malone University resumed their Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) series with crosstown rival Walsh University at Thurman Munson Memorial Stadium on Tuesday night.
The game was a makeup for the postponement due to inclement weather back in March.
Tuesday night's affair nearly stretched into Wednesday morning, but it was the Cavaliers (15-11, 7-6 G-MAC) who scored the go ahead run just before the clock hit midnight in the top of the eleventh to escape with a 4-3 win over the Pioneers (13-19, 4-11 G-MAC).
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Eric Baum worked around a one-out double to keep Walsh off of the scoreboard in the first inning, and Malone's offense wasted no time in getting some run support.
Tyson Gingerich led off the inning with a single into left center. Cameron Martin followed that with a double into the same gap that scored Gingerich all of the way from first base to put the Pioneers up 1-0.
Unfortunately the Cavaliers answered with a two-run home run in the top of the second to move ahead 2-1.
Just one inning later Evan Balzano singled home Andrew Hanna to tie the game at 2-2.
Both pitching staffs traded zeroes in the fourth and fifth innings before Walsh broke the tie with a RBI single in the top of the sixth inning.
Late in the eighth inning Balzano doubled over the centerfielder's head. After a JC Philippi single moved him to third base, Jake Aleman came through with a sacrifice fly to make it a 3-3 game.
After Bryce Layton retired the Cavaliers in order in the top of the ninth, Malone loaded the bases in their half of the inning. Unfortunately Walsh was able to work out of the jam to send the game into extra innings.
The Cavaliers quickly put two runners in scoring position with no outs in the tenth inning, but Layton, backed up by a couple of outstanding defensive plays, was able to get out of the inning unscathed.
The Pioneers could not get anything going in their half of the tenth, and Walsh broke the tie with a RBI single in the top of the eleventh.
The Cavaliers were then able to retire MU in order in the bottom half of the inning to escape with the 4-3 win.
PIONEER POINTS
- Evan Balzano led Malone's offense by going 3-5 at the plate with a RBI.
- JT Tonelli was the only other Pioneer with multiple hits, while Cameron Martin and Jake Aleman drove in the other two runs.
- Tonight was Malone's second extra inning ballgame in the last six days.
Malone will travel to Kentucky Wesleyan College this weekend for a four-game G-MAC series with the Panthers.
The series gets underway with a doubleheader on Friday. First pitch from Owensboro is set for 1:00 p.m. EDT.
Original source can be found here.
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