NEW CONCORD, Ohio – Mount Union's baseball team got a pair of dominant pitching performances in a season-opening sweep of Muskingum, 10-0 and 8-0, in a non-conference doubleheader at Mose Morehead Field in New Concord.

Thomas Gallant (Pataskala / Watkins Memorial) and Carson Davis (Louisville) both pitched complete game shutouts. Gallant struck out 11 and allowed only two hits in a complete-game win in the opener while Davis surrendered just four hits and struck out 11 going the distance in the nightcap.

In the opener, Mount Union right fielder Eric Schilling (Stow / Stow-Munroe Falls) drove in five runs on two hits as the Raiders belted out 10 runs on 10 hits in a 10-0 win.

Mount Union got a one-out walk to Nate Duliba (Berea / Berea-Midpark) in the first inning and he scored on a throwing error on a ball hit by Schilling to give the Raiders a 1-0 lead.

Joey Nave (Toronto / Edison) and Coleman Stauffer (Boardman) started out the second inning with back-to-back singles and Nave would score on a wild pitch. After a Zack Mazza (Flint, Mich. / Powers Catholic) walk and a Duliba sacrifice bunt, Schilling blew the game open with a three-run home run and Mount Union led 5-0.

Schilling stayed hot with a two-run single in the third then later in the frame he and Duliba would both score on a wild pitch that pushed the lead to 9-0.

Mazza finished the scoring with a solo home run in the fifth.

This was all more than enough offense for Gallant, who won both of his starts a year ago before the pandemic stopped the season. 

In game two, Mazza drove in three runs on three hits. He doubled went to third on an error and scored on a wild pitch to give the Raiders a 1-0 lead in the first inning.

Mazza then hit a two-out, two-run double in the fifth and a two-out RBI single in the seventh that extended the Mount Union lead to 4-0.

Walker Marlowe (Berlin Center / Western Reserve), who also had three hits, and Nave each drove in runs in the eighth that made it 6-0 then Schilling had a sacrifice fly in the ninth that ended up scoring a pair for the 8-0 final. 

Davis needed just 95 pitches to go the distance in the win.

These games have been designated as non-conference games and tomorrow's games in Alliance have been cancelled due to COVID protocols at Muskingum. The Raiders will open Ohio Athletic Conference play next weekend with a doubleheader at Heidelberg next Saturday in Tiffin before both teams play Sunday, March 21 in Alliance.