Ty Beck knocked in four runs and
Kobe Katayama drove in three as The Master's baseball team picked up a key 11-9 win against the Arizona Christian Firestorm Friday at Lou Herwaldt Stadium.
Going into this final weekend of the GSAC schedule, the Mustangs (22-16, 8-14) trailed Vanguard by one game for the fifth and final spot in the GSAC Champonship Tournament.
The Lions split a doubleheader against Hope International Friday, maintaining a half-game lead over TMU.
The Master's scored 10 of their 11 runs in the first five innings. After ACU pushed a run across in the first and second inning to go up 2-0, Katayama's double to right-center in the bottom of the second scored
Miles Henderson.
Conor Christiansen followed that with an RBI single to score Katayama, and the game was tied 2-2.
Then in the third, the Mustangs exploded for four runs, highlighted by Beck's eighth home run of the season, which plated three. Moments later,
Nolan Inouye reached on an error by the Firestorm centerfielder, scoring Henderson and putting TMU up 6-2.
The Firestorm answered in the top of the fourth when four singles, a walk and a hit by pitch scored three runs to close the gap to 6-5.
But in the bottom of the fourth, Katayama singled with the bases loaded to drive in two. Two batters later Inouye's sacrifice fly to right scored Beck and the Mustang lead was once again four, 9-5.
Then in the bottom of the fifth, two singles and a walk loaded the bases for The Master's. Beck then earned a walk to bring home
Cason Brownell and the Mustangs led 10-5.
In the top of the sixth, an RBI single was followed by a 2-run home run and ACU had cut the lead to 10-8.
TMU added one in the bottom of the seventh when
Ryan Mathiesen doubled to right-center to bring home Brownell to make it 11-8. A sac fly added a run in the eighth for Arizona Christian, but that was all they could score.
Mathiesen finished 4 for 5 with an RBI and two runs scored. Brownell was 3 for 5, with Beck finished 2 for 4 and those four RBI and Katayama 2 for 5 and three RBI.
Carson Knapp got the start on the mound, pitching 3.0 innings and giving up four earned runs on six hits and five walks.
Ryan Shalkevich picked up the win in relief (4-0), going 2.2 innings and giving up three earned runs on four hits and striking out five.
Michael Chung went 1.1 IP, with Mathiesen picking up his eighth save of the season pitching the final 2.0.
Saturday will be the last conference doubleheader of the season, which means it is Senior Day at Lou Herwaldt Stadium. In between the two games against Arizona Christian, the nine seniors playing their final conference game in a Mustangs' uniform will take place. First pitch for the first game is 11 a.m.
