Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 The Master's baseball won the first game but lost the second to split the 4-game series with Arizona Christian Saturday at Lou Herwaldt Stadium.
Game 1
TMU scored two unearned runs in the second inning and that was all they needed as they went on to beat the Firestorm 3-1.
Manny Herrera got the win on the mound, going 6.1 innings without giving up an earned run. He only allowed four hits and struck out three to take his record to 2-1 on the season.
"Manny's been commanding two pitches for strikes, his fastball and his splitter," said TMU Pitching Coach Rob Winslow. "Splitter's been good for swing and miss. Fastball he's been using to get ahead in the count and that sets him up for success. If you can command two pitches, maybe three, and he's been able to do three. So it's been very beneficial for him this year. Even in hitter's counts he's been able to throw off-speed and so that's been a game-changer for sure.
Michael Chung came on in relief of Herrera in the seventh inning, with
Jace Russell giving up one hit and striking out four in the final 2.0 innings to get his first save.
Dylan Tagiuam led the offense, going 2 for 3 with a double and an RBI.
Ty Beck also got a pair of hits and a double, with runs scored by
Cole Rohlmeier,
Jack Drew and
Emilio Morales.
Game 2
A 6-run fifth inning by The Master's tied the game at 7-7, but a run in the top of the sixth prove to be the game-winner as the Mustangs lost game two 8-7 in seven innings.
TMU (12-14, 2-6) could only must one run on two hits against Firestorm pitching through the first four innings, while ACU scored seven on 10 hits.
After giving up two runs in the top of the third, Master's answered in the bottom half of the inning when
Isaiah Morales's single brought in
Ryder Frith-Smith.
But Arizona Christian responded with another run in the fourth and then four more in the fifth to make it 7-1.
A bases-loaded single by
Isaiah Morales in the bottom of the fifth plated both
Owen Payn and
Korbin Hodgson. That was followed by a Scotty Piper single that brought in Beck to get the Mustangs to within three.
Cole Rohlmeier then stepped to the plate, fouled off a couple of pitches, then drove a 2-2 pitch straight into a fierce win over the left field fence for a 3-run home run to tie the game at 7-7.
But ACU responded with that run in the top of the sixth on a sacrifice fly to make it an 8-7 final.
Morales went 2 for 4 with three RBI in the game, with
Scotty Pieper also getting a pair of hits, an RBI and a run scored. Seven different Mustangs scored the seven runs for The Master's.
The Master's will host the Embry-Riddle Eagles for a 4-game series beginning Thursday with a single game starting at 2 p.m., Friday doubleheader and Saturday single game.
