SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio -- Notre Dame split a pair of American Mideast Conference games against Malone on a cold and windswept Campus Field on Thursday. (Gm-1 | Gm-2)

Notre Dame (14-18, 7-3 AMC) picked up a come-from-behind win in the opener and then fell, 9-4, in the nightcap on what marked the first of three straight days of games due to games rained out earlier this month. (Thursday's Malone-Notre Dame game was a makeup of a Tuesday rainout.)

With the split, NDC managed to stay two games ahead of Malone (15-18, 5-5) in the AMC standings. The Falcons came into Thursday's action with the best record in the eight-team circuit.

In the opener, both starters -- #Meredith Harbarger# for NDC and Brittany Larch for MU -- hung zeroes on the Campus Field scoreboard through the first three innings. Malone then broke through for three runs in the fourth when they strung together two doubles, two singles and a walk.

Larch held Notre Dame hitless until #Christine Kasidonis# hit a one-out double in the fifth. The Falcons got on the board when #Michelle Dykes# hit a pinch-hit two-run homer run over the fence in left-center. That cut the Malone advantage to 3-2. NDC then tied the game, 3-3, later that same inning on an #Ashley Harbarger# sacrifice fly.

In the seventh, #Kelly Lennox# drew a leadoff walk and came around to score three batters later on a bunt single to short by #Felicia Jones#. NDC came away with the win despite being outhit by the Pioneers, 11-5.

In the nightcap, it was all-Malone. The Pioneers batted around and scored seven runs in the top of the fourth. That explosion, tallied against starter #Kim Lennox# and reliever #Christina Hutchison#, gave MU an 8-1 lead. Notre Dame chipped away at that advantage with one run in the fifth and two in the sixth, although MU got one back in their half of the seventh to claim the win with a 9-4 final.

Malone banged out 15 hits in the game. Notre Dame committed four errors, tying the most miscues they've had in a single game this season.

The games at Campus Field marked the first two of six games in three days for Notre Dame -- the Falcons will be at Point Park (Pa.) on Friday and at Mount Vernon Nazarene on Saturday.


NOTES FROM THE NEST …

HOME COOKIN': Thursday's twin bill marked the end of NDC's regular season at home. The Falcons went 8-3 in 11 home tilts.

SLOWDOWN: Notre Dame has averaged just 3.7 runs per game over its last seven contests. The Blue & White came into Thursday's twin bill having scored 153 runs this season, while yielding the same number (5.1 per game).