EUCLID, Ohio -- The Notre Dame Falcons finished their crucial four game American Mideast Conference series with a doubleheader sweep of the Malone Pioneers at Paul Serra Field, winning 9-4 in game one, and then took the final game in extra innings, 4-3. (Gm-1) | (Gm-2)

Notre Dame (26-13, 13-7) moved into second place in the conference standings with the sweep, and they are now a few percentage points ahead of Malone. The Falcons have now won five out of their last six games at Paul Serra Field, and they've won five out of their last six conference games. The Pioneers (28-12, 10-6), have now lost three in a row, and they've dropped four out of their last five games.

Six strong innings from #Travis Bondy# and early offensive firepower paced the Falcons in their 9-4 victory in the first contest. The Falcons took their early edge by scoring three in the first and four in the second, giving them a 7-0 lead after two innings. #Tony Younis# smashed a single through the middle of the infield to score #Pat Ross#, before #Ryan Weaver# scored on a balk. #Jesse Bartle#'s two-out single to left field plated #Travis Brown# to bring in the final run of the first inning.

Notre Dame extended their lead with a pair of two run homers in the second inning. Younis went the opposite way, smashing a two-run homer to right field, his fifth bomb of the season, and two batters later, Brown sent a two-run blast over the wall in right center field for his second homerun of the year. The Falcons added two more insurance runs in the fifth inning on Bartle's two-run double to left center field. Malone was able to plate four runs over the final two frames, but it wasn't enough.

The second contest featured a back and forth battle that went into extra innings. The two teams combined to strand 26 runners in the contest. Notre Dame was able to take an early edge on #Brett Zientarski#'s run scoring single to right field in the bottom of the first inning, but Malone tied it up quickly in the top of the second. A groundout plated Malone's second run in the top of the sixth inning to give them a 2-1 lead but the Falcons responded with a pair in the home half of the sixth. An errant throw from Malone catcher T.J. Rosenberg allowed #Brad Morrison# to score, and the Falcons took the lead a few moments later when #Matt Fritz# came around on Ross's sacrifice fly.

Rosenberg redeemed himself with an RBI double in the top of the seventh inning to tie the game, forcing extra innings. The game remained even at 3-3, until Zientarski came through with his third hit of the contest, a bases loaded single to center field, with one out in the eighth inning for the game winner.

Bondy (3-0) secured the victory in game one, and came just an out away from going the distance. He allowed four runs on eight hits over six and two thirds with three strikeouts. #Sean Harnish# (3-0) was able to keep Malone off the board in the eighth inning of game two, as he fanned two batters and earned his second victory of the series.

The Falcons were able to win, despite being out-hit by the Pioneers in both games. Brown paced the Falcons with three hits in the first game and scored three times while driving in a pair of runs. Younis and Bartle both drove in three runs a piece in game one, but it was Zientarski who delivered in a big way in the second game. He had three of NDC's eight hits, going 3-for-4, and knocked in two runs. The Notre Dame pitching staff was able to hold the league's top offense to just seven runs on the afternoon, and they pitched themselves out of trouble on a number of different occasions. Malone left 15 runners on base in the second game, and seven in the first.

The Falcons will be in action again on Sunday, April 18, against Miami-Hamilton. The contest will take place at All Pro Freight Stadium in Avon, Ohio. The first pitch is scheduled for 12 p.m.