The Tiffin University baseball team took on the Malone University Pioneers on Friday afternoon, splitting the two game set, winning game one 3-2 and falling 10-5 in game two.
Logan Sendelbach was sent to the hill in game one. Sendelbach had some 1st inning troubles, surrendering a run on three hits, but did strand two Pioneers to get out of the early jam.
Tiffin got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the 2nd. Alex Hartley singled to left field with one out, and Devon Fisk drew a walk to put two on. An Alec McCurry single loaded the bases, and Isaac Perry's single to left field pushed Hartley and Fisk home to make it a 2-1 contest.
Both teams were held quiet for the next three innings, but the Dragons struck in the 6th. Hartley singled to left center field to get the inning started, and was pushed to second with a sacrifice bunt by Fisk. Alec McCurry was hit by a pitch to put two on, and then a strange play occurred. A pop up to the right side of the infield, hit by Seth Bryant, was mishandled by Malone, and the ball bounced into the tarp area, which is out of play. This allowed Wyatt Edwards, who pinch ran for Hartley, to score, giving Tiffin a 3-2 lead.
Logan Sendelbach nailed down the 7th, and Tiffin took game one 3-2. Sendelbach went the distance for Tiffin, surrendering 7 hits, 2 runs, both earned, walked 5 and fanned 6. At the plate, Alex Hartley was the only Dragon with multiple hits, going 2 for 3. Isaac Perry was 1 for 3 with two RBIs.
Stevan Gonzalez was given the nod for the game two start. Gonzalez ran into trouble from the onset. Malone scored two runs on three hits and a Tiffin error.
The Dragons countered with a run of their own in the bottom of the inning. The run came courtesy of wildness by the Pioneer starter. It took eight pitches for the right-hander to throw his first strike. Perry and Elijah Sanabria walked to start the inning. Nick Hueneburg reached on a fielder's choice to put runners on the corners with only one down. Cody Spires then pushed Perry home with a sac fly to center field to make it a 2-1 game.
Malone added another two runs in the 2nd inning. Tiffin chipped in with a run in the 2nd as well. The Dragons run was thanks to a Pioneer error that put Alec McCurry aboard. Kyle Durham walked behind McCurry, and Perry knocked Alec home with a single.
From the end of the 2nd inning, it was all Malone. The Pioneers scored six runs the remainder of the game on six hits, six walks, and four Tiffin errors.
The Dragons struck in the 9th for three runs. The big blow was off the bat of Cody Spires. Spires turned on an inside fastball and yanked the ball down the left field line, clearing the wall for a two run home run. Another run crossed in the inning, but it was too little too late, as Tiffin fell 10-5.
Stevan Gonzalez took the loss for the Dragons on the mound. Tiffin used four other pitchers in the game. Mark Deitsch fared the best, throwing 4 innings, scattering 3 hits, giving up 2 runs, one earned, walked one, and punched out 6.
Offensively, Isaac Perry was 2 for 3 with an RBI and two runs scored. Cody Spires was 1 for 3 with a home run and three RBIs.
Tiffin and Malone will finish their four game set tomorrow. The Dragons sit at 14-23 overall and 8-12 in GLIAC play. Game one is slated for a 1:00 pm start time.
