After late rally, TMU baseball ends season opener in tie

All Wednesday's season opener lacked was sufficient sunlight for a satisfying conclusion.

The game featured clutch relief performances, an eighth inning rally by the Mustangs and a trick play that wiped out an imminent threat in the ninth.

But as the sun headed for the exits inside Herwaldt Stadium, Master's ultimately found itself in a 2-2 tie with Marymount California after 11 complete innings.

It would not be resolved, neither will it be resumed, leaving TMU with a three-digit record for the rest of the season.

But the teams will meet again at Master's on Friday, playing a double-header that was pushed up one day due a forecast filled with rain.  

Wednesday's thriller left the Mustangs wanting more.

"It's pretty frustrating," said Aidan Stout, who made his first start in more than a year and went 4 1/3 innings, allowing two runs and striking out seven. "It's better than a loss, I guess. But we'd rather have finished it."

The Mustangs grabbed hold of momentum heading into extra innings.

In the bottom of the eighth, Ryan Bricker doubled and later scored on a passed ball to cut the deficit to one, and Aaron Shackelford's double off the wall chased home Max Maitland from first to even things.

In the ninth, Marymount mounted a rebuttal, moving a runner to second with one out. That's when Master's coach Monte Brooks dug into his bag of tricks.

Reliever Kyle Adkins, who had extricated the Mustangs from a jam in the fifth and who was stellar in 5 2/3 innings of scoreless relief, turned and faked a throw to second.

Shackelford played like the ball had caromed into center, and the runner started for third.

Adkins flipped a pass to Shackelford for the tag, and soon it was TMU's turn to hit again. 

But, even after Caleb Jaime coolly escaped a bases-loaded situation two innings later, the Mustangs couldn't push another run across.  

Maitland found solace in the fact that Master's pitched well and played solid defense in its first outing of 2019.

"We've just got to get the bats going," he said.

Adkins kept Master's in the game, entering an unenviable spot in the fifth and not allowing a run for the duration of his first-ever collegiate pitching appearance.

The junior transfer, who had been a lifelong catcher, said he began seriously considering a move to the mound after having two knee surgeries while playing community college ball. He had the arm to pitch – and the mindset.

"It felt good to be in control and in command of the ball rather than being on the defensive side as the catcher," said Adkins.

The mentality was on display Wednesday.  

Coming on with the bases loaded and one out in the fifth, Adkins struck out Ivan Cruz on a high fastball and jammed Aidan Gutierrez with a heater on the hands. The subsequent pop out ended the inning.

Adkins struck out four and allowed two hits.  

"He commanded the zone," said Maitland.

The Mariners managed seven hits, but none for extra bases. After Marymount loaded the bags in the third, Chris Major singled through the left side of the infield for the day's first run.

Jesus Espinoza hooked a single down the right field line in fifth to drive in MCU's other run.

For Stout, it was his first start since his freshman season in 2016. Last year, Brooks deployed the tall right-hander as one of his most trusted bullpen arms.

Stout started in high school and felt the previous two seasons prepared him to transition back to the role on the college level.  

"I think I rose to the occasion (today) but could have done a little better," Stout said.

For Master's, the late rally countered a game in which it struck out 14 times and walked just twice.

Starter Ray Diaz dazzled for the Mariners (1-2-0), spinning 7 2/3 innings of two-run ball.

Shackelford got to him late, though.

After crushing a double over the center fielder's head in the fourth, Shackelford played tag with the wall in right in the eighth to score a sprinting Maitland.  "He pieced that ball," said Stout.  

Maitland was stealing on the play and didn't see where the ball landed.

"But I saw coach waving me in," he said.