Baseball | 2/21/2019 10:49:00 PM

Box Score     MASON, Ohio – The West Liberty University baseball team jumped out to an early lead here Thursday but couldn't hang on as Malone rallied for an 8-4 win in a scheduled 9-inning game at a cool but sunny Legacy Field.
    Dalton Davis belted a solo home run in the top of the second and Jason Schutte doubled home another tally in the third to put Coach Eric Burkle's Hilltoppers (0-4) on top, 2-0, but some shaky early-season fielding opened the door for the debuting Pioneers in the bottom of the third.
    Two West Liberty errors allowed Malone to even the count at 2-2 and the Ohio squad plated two more runs in the fifth and sixth frames to open up a 6-2 lead. The Black and Gold got one of the runs back in the top of the seventh but the Pioneers plated single tallies in the seventh and eighth to put the game on ice. Four of Malone's eight runs went into the books as unearned.
    Davis had a single to go along with his home run while Schutte also had a multi-hit game and Tyler Ramsay added an RBI single for the Hilltoppers.
    West Liberty will remain in town on Friday for two more games at Legacy Field. The Black and Gold will take on Quincy (Ill.) in a 10 a.m. tilt before getting a rematch with Malone at 1 p.m.
 
BASEBALL
Malone 8, West Liberty 4
West Liberty              011 000 101 – 4    6  4
Malone                       002 022 11x – 8  10  2
     WLU: Dyson lp (7SO, 3W), Viakley (5) 2SO, 1W), Orillion (6) (2SO, 1W), Shook (8) (1SO, 1W) and Davis, Rine (8). Davis HR, S, rbi; Schutte D, S, rbi; Ramsay S, rbi
     MU: C.Yoder wp (10SO, 4W), Mills (6) (2SO, 2W), Jones (8) (1SO, 1W) and B.Yoder. Crank D, S, 2rbi; Mottice D, S, rbi; Haygood 2S, rbi; Noel S, rbi; Hill D.