Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 The Master's baseball team found themselves needing to win three of their final four games of the season to secure a spot in the GSAC post-season tournament.
Fingernail-chewing time.
The Mustangs (27-16, 9-12) split a pair of games with the Benedictine Mesa Redhawks Tuesday, losing the first 7-11 and but winning the second 7-2 to keep their hold on fourth place in the conference standings.
"I thought our starting pitching was good and we actually scored seven runs in both games," said TMU Head Coach Mnte Brooks. "We could have been better disciplined at the plate, however we had some quality at bats and scored enough runs to win ball games."
TMU has a 2-game advantage over Embry-Riddle for the fourth and final spot of next week's GSAC Baseball Championship tournament, but the Eagles hold the tiebreaker. So the Mustangs need to win one of their two final games on Wednesday, or have ERAU lose one of their two games, to advance to the post-season.
Game 1
The Master's committed seven errors that led to six unearned runs in their 7-11 loss to the Redhawks in game one.
"We fell short on the defensive end and it really hurt us," Brooks said. "At the end of the season, we should have been a lot more prepared and we needed to execute better."
TMU got on the board first when
Cason Brownell blasted a ball into the jetstream for a 3-run home run in the bottom of the first. It was his fifth home run of the season, the most he's had in a single season in his five years with the club.
After getting a solo home run in the top of the second, the Redhawks scored four in the top of the third, three of which were unearned, to take a 5-3 lead.
That lead extended in the top of the fifth with two more unearned runs, with yet another unearned run tacked on in the top of the sixth to put BenU up 8-3.
TMU did get one more in the bottom of the sixth when
Ewan Leonard scored when Brownell reached on an error. But BenU responded with another run in the top of the seventh on a wild pitch to make it 9-4.
With the bases loaded and nobody out in the bottom of the seventh, Scottie Pieper hit into a double play, but Aaron Rueda scored on the play.
Austin Young then stepped up and cracked a 2-run bomb over the left field fence to draw the Mustangs to within two at 9-7.
But another 2-run home run in the top of the ninth sealed the deal for the Redhawks and their 11-7 win.
Nine different Mustangs collected the 11 base hits in the game, with
Ty Beck and
Jacob Kowes getting two hits apiece.
Gage Webster started on the mound for TMU, giving up two earned runs on nine base hits and striking out seven in 6.0 innings of work. J.T. Fiesen pitched the final 3.0 innings, giving up two earned runs on two hits.
Game 2
Carson Ohl, now a 3-time GSAC Pitcher of the Week, took the ball for game two and pitched a 7-inning complete game, allowing two runs on seven hits while striking out five to lift The Master's to the 7-2 win.
Again it was Brownell that got the scoring started for the Mustangs. With the bases loaded and one out, the 5-year starter hit a ground ball to third. The Redhawks got the runner at second, but Brownell was able to beat the throw to first to eliminate the double play, allowing
Ewan Leonard to score.
Then with the bases loaded again in the fourth, Pieper reached on a fielder's choice that scored
Kobe Katayama to make it 2-0.
One inning later and the score now 2-1, It was Brownell again coming to bat with runners on the corners and one out. He laid down a perfect safety squeeze that scored Leonard.
Jack Drew then stepped up to the plate and smacked a double off the left-center fence to score Kowes and the Mustangs were up 4-1.
Then in the sixth and the score now 4-2, Young's single to right scored
Tommy Gwinn, and then
Ty Beck blasted his conference-leading 21st home run of the season, this one to right-center, and the Mustangs led 7-2.
Beck is also leading the GSAC in slugging percentage (.907), OPS (1.418), fourth in RBIs (58) and sixth in batting average (.400).
Seniors Young and Gwinn finished the game each going 3 for 3, with fellow senior
Cason Brownell getting two RBIs to go with the four he had in game one. Young raised his batting average to .407, fourth best in the conference.
"You always want your seniors to come through," Brooks said. "Things are winding down and so you love to see those players come through."
These two teams will be back at Lou Herwaldt Stadium on Senior Day Wednesday for the final doubleheader of the 2025 regular season. First pitch is scheduled for 11 a.m.
