Mustangs, No. 14 William Jessup finish off series with another split

No two baseball games are exactly alike.
 
Yet, some games bear striking resemblances.
 
Like the second game of Saturday's double-header and Friday's nightcap. 
 
On Friday, Master's and William Jessup combined for 18 runs over the final four innings.
 
The Mustangs and Warriors combined for the same number of runs Saturday over the final three-and-a-half innings of a 10-8 Warrior victory that split the four-game, weekend series between the two teams.
 
TMU won the first game 10-6.
 
"Enjoyed seeing us swing the bats today," said Mustang head coach Monte Brooks.  "We are really improving."
 
In Game 2, senior Kaleyl Anderson and junior Byron Smith had identical stat lines: 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs.
 
Smith's fifth-inning, two-run homer put the Mustangs up 3-2 and Anderson's RBI single later in the frame doubled TMU's advantage.
 
Smith's homer was his second in two days and fourth of the season.
 
Smith doubled in a run in the sixth inning, pulling the Mustangs within 8-5 after the Warriors had scored six times in the top of the frame.
 
Anderson's seventh-inning, two-run homer, his team-leading sixth of the season, drew the Mustangs within 10-8.
 
Later in the inning, the Mustangs had the potential game-winning run at the plate twice but could not come through.
 
Junior right-hander Caleb Jaime, who shut out the Warriors over the first four innings but didn't survive the sixth, took the loss and fell to 3-2.
 
In the opener, Anderson and teammates Will Batz and Brock Bell went 3-for-5 and combined for five RBIs.
 
Batz' RBI single in the second inning, following an Anderson two-run base hit, capped a four-run rally and gave the Mustangs a 4-3 lead.
 
Batz scored ahead of Brock Bell on the senior's home run in the bottom of the seventh inning, and Nick Tuttle hit his third homer in as many games as the Mustangs extended their lead to 8-4.
 
Bell's two-run homer was his third of the season and Tuttle's solo home run was his fourth of the year.
 
Connor Dreyer, who relieved starter Nelson Schutte in the top of the fourth, was extraordinary over the next five innings, retiring the first 13 batters he faced and shutting out the Warriors in that five-inning span.
 
He gave up two runs in the top of the ninth but wound up striking out six and allowing just two hits while improving to 3-1.
 
Brooks said, "Connor was exceptional in relief, counting on him to have a great second half."
 
After an eight-game homestand, the Mustangs (16-11, 7-9 GSAC) hit the road next Friday and Saturday for two double-headers at Arizona Christian.