Mustang baseball opens season with win over Marymount California

The Master's University and season-openers against Marymount California University have become a habit.
 
The Mustangs and Mariners have met in TMU's first game in each of the last four years.  
 
When the familiar trend continued Friday afternoon, however, it was unfamiliar faces who helped the Mustangs christen the 2020 campaign with a 10-1 victory over the Mariners at Lou Herwaldt Stadium.

Senior transfers Kaleyl Anderson and Brock Bell sparked TMU's offense in the third inning, each hitting a two-run homer to erase a 1-0 deficit.
 
In the seventh inning, the Mustangs blew the game open, scoring five runs on four hits. Another senior transfer, Tyler Van Marter, tripled in a run in that frame.
 
"Great first game," said TMU head coach Monte Brooks.  "Played well in all phases."
 
One of those phases was an offensive attack that produced double-digit runs and hits (10).
 
Hitting leadoff, junior Nick Tuttle went 1-for-2 with two RBIs and a walk. He singled in a run in the sixth and capped TMU's decisive seventh inning with a sacrifice fly.
 
Sophomore Will Batz went 1-for-2 and walked three times. In the seventh, he tagged at second on Roy Verdejo's fly out to deep center and sprinted all the way home, creating an impressive and unusual sac fly. 

Junior catcher Byron Smith went 2-for-4 with an RBI.
 
The other well-played phase took place on the mound where a trio of Mustang pitchers limited the Mariners to one run on five hits while combining for a dozen strikeouts.
 
Senior right hander Kyle Adkins, who was 10-2 last year and is known for his grind-'em-out starts, was at it again on Friday, throwing 88 pitches over 5 1/3 innings of work to pick up the win.  He allowed four hits and struck out eight while giving up an earned run.
 
Relievers Caleb Jaime and Adam Rubio combined for 3 2/3 innings of one-hit, four-strikeout pitching.
 
The Mustangs and Mariners do a quick turnaround Saturday when they get together for a double-header.  The first game starts at 11:00 a.m. at Lou Herwaldt Stadium.