Spencer Long
3
The Master's TMU 29-24
4
Winner William Jessup WJU 26-25
The Master's TMU
29-24
3
Final
4
William Jessup WJU
26-25
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
The Master's TMU 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 3 11 1
William Jessup WJU 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 4 6 2

W: M. Moreno (3-3) L: Long, Spencer (7-3)

Game Recap: Baseball | | Tim Heiduk, Assistant Athletic Director, Events and Communications

Master's eliminated from GSAC Tournament despite Long's valiant effort

Despite not giving up an earned run, TMU Baseball was sent packing from the Golden State Athletic Conference Tournament after a heartbreaking 4-3 loss to William Jessup on Tuesday.
 
Master's got everything it could have wanted from its pitching staff in the postseason, with starters Zachary Filos (8 IP, 2 R, 4 K) and Spencer Long (8.2 IP, 4 R (0 ER), 10 K) conceding only two earned runs across a combined 16.2 innings.
 
But the Mustang offense only scored four runs across the two games, while leaving 11 runners on base against William Jessup in a season-ending defeat.
 
"We got some hits but didn't put them together to drive in runs, so we couldn't increase the gap," Master's Head Coach Monte Brooks said. "It came back to bite us."
 
Master's stranded runners in scoring position in both the first and second innings. With two outs in the top of the first, consecutive singles from Evan Banks and Miles Henderson started a Mustang rally which was halted by a fly out to center.
 
Then in the second with one away, Tommy Gwinn just missed out on a home run with a double off the wall in left-center field, only for a groundout and strike out to keep the game scoreless.
 
The Mustangs were then finally able to break the deadlock in the top of the fifth, scoring twice.  
After Joe Terlizzi walked to open the inning, Corny Miller's bunt single forced an errant throw from the second baseman that advanced courtesy runner Brayden Luft to third. Miller then stole second, his first of two stolen bases on the day, to put two runners in scoring position.
 
Will Batz hit a hard grounder to the right side which forced a diving stop but managed to score Luft from third. After Austin Young walked and Banks was intentionally awarded first base, Henderson's sacrifice bunt then scored TMU's second run before a groundout left runners on second and third.  
"They executed well there, but we didn't execute before that," Brooks said of the team's two-run fifth inning. "That hurt to not get additional runs."
 
With Long dealing like he was, it seemed like those two runs were going to be more than enough for Master's to advance in the tournament. TMU's third run, coming off a Banks RBI-double in the ninth, appeared not to be needed.
 
Turns out, it wasn't enough.
 
Long induced a ground ball to start off the bottom of the ninth, but an error allowed the Warriors to get their leadoff man on. A single and walk then loaded the bases, before Long struck out his 10th batter to record the first out of the inning.
 
A sacrifice fly then scored WJU's first run, leaving runners on first and second but with Jessup down to its final out.
 
With their season on the line, the Warriors rallied with back-to-back run-scoring singles to tie the game, at which point Long was taken out of the game after 137 pitches.
 
But the momentum had clearly shifted toward the Warriors, who then won the game with a third-straight single to score the winning run.
 
"Obviously we wanted to win that one and stay in the tournament," Long said. "It is a tough way to lose, but Coach always says it and it's true – the Lord deals with winning and losing; we just go out there and give it our best."
 
Long indeed gave it his best and saved it for last, as the graduate student set a new Mustang career-high with 10 strikeouts and nearly posted his second nine-inning complete game in his lone season at TMU.  
"I throw four pitches for strikes and we were able to move in and out with the fastball," Long said of what was working for him on the mound today. "I was able to land the curveball and get swings and misses with the change-up when we needed it. Good command today, which has kind of been my M.O."
 
His head coach also highlighted his control.
 
"He had very good command and was changing speeds," Brooks said. "He dominated and had a couple good pitches there even in the last inning."
 
Long credited Brooks and the rest of the TMU Baseball coaching staff for helping the team maintain an eternal perspective, even in the midst of tough defeats such as this one.
 
"To be under their leadership is special," Long said. "Those guys love the Lord and walk in the truth. They share with us every day and that's what matters. That's how we're able to deal with losses like this in a Godly way because we've seen such a good example from them."
 
Master's fell just shy of winning its 30th game of the season and finishes the campaign with a 29-24 record.
 
"Every year has its goals and the Lord sees how it unfolds right before us," Brooks said. "In the end, the Lord giveth and the Lord taketh, blessed be the name of the Lord. In the end, it's all about Christ and these guys love Christ."
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