April 15, 2008

SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio - Malone College topped Notre Dame twice Tuesday, earning 7-6 and 5-2 victories at Paul Serra Field in the second half of a home-and-home four-game set between the two programs. Malone swept NDC in a Saturday doubleheader in Canton.

Notre Dame blew a 4-1 lead in the opener, and the Pioneers tallied five in the top of the seventh inning. In the nightcap, the Pioneers and Falcons battled to a 1-1 tie through the regulation seven. Malone outlasted the Falcons to earn a 5-2 win under the lights at the Falcons' home park.

The twin bill turned out to be another feather in the Pioneers cap in the American Mideast Conference (AMC). The sweep for Malone keeps the Pioneers atop the AMC standings, with a 15-3 mark. Malone is now 26-9 overall. NDC falls to 7-11 in the circuit, and 15-17 overall.

Game one (MC 7, NDC 6)
In the first game, Notre Dame strung together three straight hits to score three runs in the first inning off MC starter Sam Campitella (Jr/Massillon, OH), who came into the contest with a sub-1.00 ERA (0.72) in six starts. The three-run innings was highlighted by a two-run homer off the bat of senior third baseman Mike Wilsey (Vermilion, OH).

The Falcons added a solo run in the second before Campitella settled down to then pitch four straight scoreless innings (from the third through the sixth).

In the meantime, Falcon starter Ken Fields (Sr/North Olmsted, OH) held down the leading offense in the AMC by allowing just two runs on one hit through the first six frames. Fields was relieved by senior Ryan Rico (Mentor, OH) with two outs in the sixth. The right-hander from North Olmsted allowed one hit and eight walks in his 5-2/3. The Falcons led, 4-2, through six.

In the seventh, however, the Pioneers finally strung together hits, walks, and NDC miscues to post a crooked number. Malone plated five in the inning, four of which were unearned.

NDC scored two of their own in the bottom of the seventh before MC reliever Bryan Bayer (Fr/Navarre) struck out two to preserve the 7-6 victory.

Game two (MC 5, NDC 2, 9 innings)
The nightcap was a pitchers' duel between NDC's Jack Sito (Jr/Elyria, OH) and MC's Adam Boudler (Jr/Louisville, OH). Both hung zeroes through the first three. Notre Dame struck first, with an unearned run in the fourth. Malone answered with a solo run in the fifth.

Each pitcher took turns at preserving the 1-1 score in the sixth and seventh, sending the game into extra innings. The Pioneers scored a gift run in the eighth when a pair of NDC errors plated a runner after the first two batters had been retired.

The Falcons then returned fire in dramatic fashion on a two-out RBI double off the bat of Eric Pelot (Jr/Lakewood, OH).

In the ninth, however, the Pioneer offense again came to life. They scored three runs on four straight hits and a pair of sacrifice flies off Sito. The Blue & Gold went quietly in the home half of the ninth against Bayer, who pitched the last inning-and-a-third for Malone.

Pelot went 4-for-7 with four RBIs on the day to lead the NDC bats. Senior Cory O'Keefe (Sheffield Lake, OH) and Mike Wilsey each reached base four times, with three hits and a base on balls. The Falcon defense committed five errors in the nightcap and seven on the day.

NOTES FROM THE NEST...

MALONE! MALONE!: With Tuesday's losses, the Falcons are now 1-5 this season against the Pioneers. Malone came into Tuesday's action ranked among the AMC's elite in most statistical categories. MC sports the league's top offense (213 runs) and the circuit's second-best ERA (4.05). The Pioneers have now won six straight.

FREE BASEBALL: With the game-two loss, Notre Dame is now 3-3 this season in six extra-inning games. The Falcons are 7-4 in one-run games.

NIFTY '9': Eric Pelot's game-one performance (3-for-4) marked his 10th multi-hit game of the season. That ranks second on the team. The 2007 All-AMC North outfielder is now batting .320 (33-for-103) on the season with a .418 on-base percentage. ... Pelot ranks in the program's career Top-5 in 12 statistical categories, including the top spot in OPS (on-base plus slugging); he owns a 1.004 OPS in 260 at bats.

SHORT HOPS: With both Malone and NDC clawing to scratch out runs in the pitchers' duel, game two featured seven sacrifice bunts (NDC 4, MC 3). ... For the 2008 season, Pelot, Jack Sito, and Mike Wilsey all have four sacrifice hits. That figure leads the team. ... Derek Lewis (Sr/Lakewood, OH) owns the all-time Falcon record, with 12. He has three this season.