Smith's heroics, Mustangs' big bats power TMU Baseball

It was a tale of two games for TMU baseball on Monday against Bethesda University. The Mustangs came back from a four-run ninth-inning deficit to win the first game in 10 innings, 11-10, before leaving nothing to chance in the second game with a 16-3 victory.
 
Regardless, the Mustangs (4-0) remain undefeated on the young season, with all four of those wins coming against the Flames (0-4).
 
"We did some great things today," Master's head coach Monte Brooks said. "However, in the first game we ran into outs and gave them opportunities to capitalize. But good teams find a way to come back. We put the ball in play, made them make plays, put the pressure on them and then had the big hit to win it."
 
That big hit was provided by Byron Smith, who in the 10th inning launched a towering walk-off home run off the roof of the baseball clubhouse beyond the left-field fence.
 
The fact the Mustangs had that opportunity to win in extras seemed unlikely just an inning prior, when TMU entered the bottom of the ninth trailing 10-6.
 
Smith, who hit three-for-six in the first game, began the inning with a base hit. After a Master's strikeout, Will Batz (two-for three, three runs, two walks) walked to advance pinch runner Calvin Johnson to second. Ryan Bricker (two-for-five) then singled to right field, before an errant throw skipped into the Mustangs' dugout, bringing both Johnson and Batz around to score.
 
Then Roy Verdejo – who hit two-for-four with a walk, two runs scored and four RBIs, including a three-run home run in the first inning – singled to score Bricker and advanced to second on the throw. Verdejo then moved up to third on a groundout to the shortstop, before a two-out Bethesda error allowed Verdejo to score and send the game to extra innings.
 
Miles Henderson came on in relief to pitch a scoreless 10th, earning the win and setting the stage for Smith's heroics.
 
"We made some big plays and Byron got the big hit," Brooks said. "I liked how Henderson came in and threw very well to keep them shut down. He gave us an opportunity."
 
The Mustangs then carried that momentum into the second game, leading from the bottom of the first inning on.
 
"It was good to see us play with more concentration in game two," Brooks said on how the walk-off win in the first game impacted the outcome of the second one. "There was a little bit of a stress release.
 
"The thing I like about the first game is it put us in a situation where we had to play with a greater intensity to make up for a deficit. In that sense it was good for us to be tested in that way. Going through that trial was a good test for us."
 
After scoring one in the first, TMU scored twice in the second. Bethesda got two runs back in the top of the third, before the Mustangs ran wild in the bottom half, putting up eight runs to bust the stable doors wide open.
 
Master's added another five in the bottom of the fifth to win the seven-inning game by 13 runs. That margin of victory is TMU's largest since the Mustangs defeated Bethesda, 20-6, on April 5, 2019.

In the second game, Batz was a home run shy of the cycle, going a perfect three-for-three with a double, triple, two runs scored and a pair of RBIs. Nolan Inouye went three-for-four with three runs scored and two RBIs, while Bricker was two-for-three with a run and two RBIs himself.
 
Alec Akins pitched a scoreless first inning to earn his second win of the season.
 
"We're in a learning stage," Brooks said of how he would assess where his team is at. "We've got quite a few new players, so they're really just learning all the necessary things that make you more consistent. We're playing a lot of players, so I'm excited about that. They're getting their feet wet and getting accustomed to game speed."
 
Master's is scheduled to return to the field this weekend for a pair of doubleheaders on Friday and Saturday against fellow Golden State Athletic Conference member Arizona Christian University. The series, which will not count toward the GSAC standings, is set to begin on Friday at 11:30 a.m.
 
"They're so good and talented," Brooks said of the Firestorm. "They're well-coached and it's going to be a challenge for us. We're excited that we're playing against a team that's in the conference and was a playoff team two years ago. It'll be a great opportunity for an assessment of where we're at."