The Malone University baseball team overcame two three-run deficits to earn a wild 8-7 win over Kentucky Wesleyan College Thursday afternoon on day two of the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) Championship.
With the win, the Pioneers improved to 34-16 and remained unbeaten in the double-elimination playoff bracket. Malone will next take on either Walsh or Hillsdale on Friday for a chance to play in the G-MAC Championship on Saturday.
After falling behind 3-0 in the first, the Pioneer bats were cold through the first three innings. A hustle double by Nate Cobb to lead off the top of the fourth, however, gave the offense a little spark. Cobb advanced to second on a failed pickoff attempt and later scored Malone's first run on a groundout by Turner Hill.
The Pioneers tacked on a run in each of the next three innings to take a 4-3 lead. A sacrifice fly by freshman third baseman Clay Wisner cut the deficit to 3-2 in the fifth before Joe Crank delivered an RBI ground rule double to tie it in the sixth. Wisner, who was making his first postseason appearance, then put Malone ahead 4-3 in the seventh with a two-strike opposite field RBI single.
Kentucky Wesleyan, the defending G-MAC Champions, went back in front with four runs in the bottom of the seventh off Pioneer starter Roscoe Blackburn, the 2x G-MAC Pitcher of the Year. Blackburn, despite not having his best stuff, was terrific through five scoreless innings after giving up three runs in the first. A pair of infield singles, however, led to four runs during a Panther rally.
Trailing 7-4 with just six outs remaining, Malone fought back with four tallies in the top of the eighth to get Blackburn (9-2) off the hook. Hill started the rally with an infield single, putting the Malone leadoff hitter on for the fifth straight inning. Hill advanced to second on double by Matt Noel and later scored on an RBI single by Austin White.
Following a pitching change, Noel scored on a KWC wild pitch to make it a 7-6 contest before Hiland product Todd Ropp, Wednesday's hero, tied it with a double off the left centerfield fence. Three batters later, Zach Mottice came to the plate with runners on first and third and two outs. The sophomore second baseman swung at the first pitch he saw, lining the eventual game-winning single up the middle to score Ropp and give the Pioneers an 8-7 advantage.
Needing six outs to close out the victory, Malone called upon sophomore righthander Eric Mullet from Hiland for the second straight day. Mullet, the G-MAC's ERA leader, was brilliant over two innings as he picked up his first collegiate save. He recorded two strikeouts, including the game-ending swing-and-miss, to clinch the Pioneers' come from behind victory.
Four different Pioneers collected at least two hits, including Ropp, who finished with three, Joe Crank, Matt Noel, and Austin White. Ropp, White, and Nate Cobb each scored twice while Clay Wisner finished with two RBI.