The Tiffin University baseball team dropped a pair of games on Sunday, losing four straight to the Malone Pioneers. The Dragons have dropped six straight games, and eight of their last nine games.
Game One
The Dragons fell behind early in the 1st, surrendering a two run double to trail 2-0. Nick Hueneburg tied the score in the 3rd, clobbering a two run homer to left field. Malone responded with a five run outburst in the bottom of the 3rd, to lead 7-2. Another Pioneer run crossed the plate an inning later, pushing the lead to 8-2.
The Dragons added the final run of the game in the 6th, with Kyle Lento smacking a solo home run to left field to bring the final tally to 8-3.
Mike Cooperider took the loss on the mound, tossing three innings, surrendering six hits, seven runs, with only three earned. Kurt Barbeau finished 2 for 4 with a run scored. Nick Hueneburg ended the game 1 for 3 with two RBI's and a run scored.
Game Two
An Isaac Perry single to right field put the Dragons ahead 1-0, and another Tiffin run crossed the plate in the top of the 2nd. Kyle Lento singled to right field, scoring Garrett Vernau, giving Tiffin a 2-0 lead. The Dragons lead was erased in the bottom of the 2nd, as the Pioneers plated four runs to take a 4-2 advantage.
A Malone home run in the 3rd pushed the lead to three at 5-2, but the Dragons countered with a run in the 4th. Fernando Nieto singled back up the middle, scoring Garrett Vernau to pull within a pair at 5-3. Malone doubled home a run in the 5th, but Nieto cut the Dragon deficit to a run, cracking a two run homer to left field. Malone, feeling the heat from the Dragons, used the long ball in the 6th to push their lead back to four at 9-5.
Another Nieto run scoring single tacked on a run for the Dragons in the 8th, and Nick Hueneburg added another RBI to his total, slapping a single through the left side to score Kyle Lento. With Tiffin down a pair in the 9th, the Dragons mounted a comeback. Kyle Lento's two run single put a cap on a 9th inning that saw TU collect three hits and take advantage of a Pioneer wild pitch to tie the score at 9-9.
For the third time in four games, the score was tied heading to the bottom of the 9th, and Malone, having played two extra inning games on Saturday, avoided free baseball with a run on two hits to drop TU 10-9.
Weylin Frisbie took the loss on the mound, tossing 1 1/3 innings in relief. TU had many stars at the plate, collecting 18 hits as a team. Kyle Lento and Alex Hartley each finished with a 3 for 5 performance, Fernando Nieto ended the day 3 for 4 with a home run and four runs batted in, and Garrett Vernau rounded out the day with a 4 for 5 afternoon and four runs scored.
The Dragons now fall to 15-25 overall and 6-16 in GLIAC play. TU will be back in action next weekend, hosting Lake Erie College.
