ALLIANCE, Ohio -- A two-run rally in the bottom of the sixth inning of game one led to a 2-1 win and allowed Mount Union to earn a split in an Ohio Athletic Conference baseball doubleheader with Muskingum Saturday at 23rd Street Field in Alliance.  The Muskies took game two 12-8.

Muskingum (7-14, 1-5 OAC) had broke a scoreless tie in the game one in the fifth inning with a run on a two-out RBI double from Tyler Hardcastle.

Mount Union came back in the sixth as Lee Grosscup (North Canton/Green) led off the inning with a double then Connor Mathis (Akron/Firestone) entered the game as a pitch hitter layed down a bunt which resulted in a single and error to put him on second and scored Grosscup to tie the game.  Mathis moved to third on a Craig Knott (Canton/GlenOak) RBI single and scored the go ahead run on a sacrifice fly from Zach Carlino (Pittsburgh, Pa./Central Catholic).

Cody Colly (Massillon/Massillon Washington) retired the side in order in the seventh to close a complete victory on the mound.  Colly moved to 3-2 on the season as he allowed just four hits and struck out eight.

The second game featured plenty of scoring as each team got a pair of runs in the first inning as Muskingum got a two-run homer from Colton Newell and Mount Union got an RBI double from Greg Ferrell (Uniontown/Green) and an RBI-single from Carlino.

Mount Union took a 4-2 lead with two more runs in the second off back to back RBI doubles from Jimmy Dobran (Poland/Poland Seminary) and Grosscup.

The Muskies then sent 12 runners to the plate and scored seven runs and seven hits in the third to take a 9-4 lead.

The Purple Raiders got one of those runs back in the bottom of the third as Ferrell reached on an error to start the inning and later came home from third on a wild pitch.

Muskingum put the game out of reach in the sixth as Newell hit his second home run of the game, a three-run shot, that made the score 12-5.

Mount Union got an RBI single from Knott in the seventh and a two-RBI double in the eighth from Dobran for the 12-8 final.

Dobran drove in three runs on a season-high four hits while Carlino had three hits to lead the Raiders at the plate while Beau Smith (Frederick, Md./Fredrick) took the loss.

Newell finished with five RBI and Erik Spitzer drove in two runs for the Muskies as Alex VanDine went 7.1 innings on the mound to pick up the win.

The loss was Mount Union first in conference play as the Raiders are 9-10 overall and 3-1 in the OAC.  They return to conference action on Sunday at 1 pm in a doubleheader against Marietta.

Mount Union 2, Muskingum 1 (Apr 09, 2011 at Alliance, Ohio) (Game 1)
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Muskingum........... 000 010 0 -  1  4  1      (6-14, 0-5 OAC)
Mount Union......... 000 002 X -  2  5  0      (9-9, 3-0 OAC)
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Pitchers: Muskingum - Nathan VanMeter and Matt Connor. Mount Union - Cody Colly and C.J. Stotler.
Win-Cody Colly(3-2)  Loss-Nathan VanMeter(1-3)  T-1:40  A-108
Weather: 48 F Cloudy

Muskingum 12, Mount Union 8 (Apr 09, 2011 at Alliance, Ohio) (Game 2)
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Muskingum........... 207 003 000  - 12 16  4      (7-14, 1-5 OAC)
Mount Union......... 221 000 120  -  8 13  1      (9-10, 3-1 OAC)
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Pitchers: Muskingum - Alex Vandine; Todd Spadaro(8) and Matt Connor. Mount Union - Beau Smith; Matt Murzynski(3); Cody Timosko(8); Kyle Moles(8) and C.J. Stotler; Craig Knott.
Win-Alex Vandine(1-3)  Loss-Beau Smith(3-2)  T-3:05  A-147
HR MUSK - Colton Newell 2 (3).
Timosko faced 3 batters in the 8th.