header image

[Sign Up Now] to Receive Our FREE Daily SCVTV-SCVNews Digest by E-Mail

Inside
Weather


 
Calendar
Today in
S.C.V. History
September 19
1863 - Gen. Edward F. Beale loans money to A.A. Hudson and Oliver P. Robbins to erect toll house in Newhall Pass [story]
toll house


Tucker Richardson

Tucker Richardson

Tucker Richardson hurled six and two-thirds innings of shutout ball and The Master’s College bounced back from a shocking, game-one loss to blank Arizona Christian 3-0 in the nightcap, salvaging a doubleheader split with the Firestorm and winning another GSAC series.

The split was the club’s third of the season and its seventh series win of the campaign boosted the 12th-ranked Mustangs’ record to 19-3 overall and 12-3 in the GSAC. However, their lead in the conference standings shrunk to a game-and-a-half after San Diego Christian swept Vanguard.

After watching his club lose the opener 9-7 on a walk-off grand slam, Richardson (Modesto, CA) provided the perfect pick-me-up for the Mustangs, falling just one out short of recording his third complete game of the season but pitching superbly, nonetheless.

The lanky righthander wound up with five strikeouts and allowed just four hits in his second-longest stint of the year.  He retired the Firestorm in order just once but picked off a runner in the first inning, struck out two with the bases loaded in the second, and induced double plays in the fourth and sixth frames, respectively.

After Firestorm starter Sam Landes retired the Mustangs in order in the first and third innings, respectively, and stranded two more in the second, the Mustangs finally broke through against the righthander in the fourth.

With one out, Ryan Shackelford (Murrieta, CA) doubled to the gap in left-center field and raced home on Tyler Krahn’s (Abbotsford, BC, Canada) single through the right side for a 1-0 lead.  The Mustangs had a chance to add to that lead but couldn’t capitalize with the bases loaded.

Two innings later, the Mustangs used a pair of hits and took advantage of a Firestorm error to extend their advantage to 3-0.  Sam Robison (San Juan Capistrano, CA) led off with a single and then sped around the bases to score when Collin Nyenhuis (Vista, CA) doubled to right-center field.  Ethan Stine (Apple Valley, CA) ran for Nyenhuis and advanced to third base on a fielder’s choice.  Moments, later he crossed home plate when ACU’s pitcher threw the ball away.

Richardson responded to his teammates’ generosity with a shutdown sixth, preparing the way for another complete game.  Unfortunately, that didn’t happen, even though he was just one out away.  A two-out single brought Coach Monte Brooks to the mound where he brought in Steve Karkenny who finished things off, getting a game-ending groundout that preserved Richardson’s fifth win (5-1) of the season while notching his team-high third save.

The Mustangs outhit the Firestorm 8-4 with Shackelford, Krahn, and Robison rapping out two hits apiece.

In complete contrast, the opener featured much less effective preaching and much more offense.  After a scoreless first inning, both squads dented the scoreboard in the second with single runs.

With two outs in the top of the second, Nyenhuis walked, moved to second on a balk, and scored when Josh Brown (Valencia, CA) slapped a single through the right side.

In the home half of the second, the Firestorm duplicated that, using a two-out single, a stolen base, and a single to knot the score.

It stayed that way until the bottom of the fourth when the Firestorm dinged Mustang starter James Scott (Canyon Country, CA) for three runs, turning a double, a walk, and a two-run triple into a 3-1 lead.  A sacrifice fly capped the uprising and gave ACU a three-run lead after four.

The Mustangs got one of those back in the top of the fifth.  With one out, Spencer Toth (Asheville, NC) was hit by a pitch and courtesy runner Bryce Clancy (Phoenix, AZ) reached second base on a groundout before Karkenny came up big with two outs, rapping a run-scoring single through the left side to slice the deficit in half.

The Firestorm matched that in the bottom of the frame, nicking reliever Andrew Klausmeier (Northridge, CA) for a run, sandwiching a pair of singles around a stolen base to extend the advantage to 5-2.

Over the next two innings, neither club could capitalize on scoring chances.  The Mustangs left two aboard in the sixth and seventh, respectively, failing to close the gap.

However, in the eighth, the Mustangs did more than just carve away at the deficit.  They caught and vaulted past the Firestorm with five runs on a like number of hits while taking advantage of a pair of ACU errors.  Nyenhuis’ single through the right side plated Shackelford with the inning’s first run, Krahn scored on the first Firestorm error of the frame to make it a one-run game, and Karkenny put the Mustangs ahead with a clutch, two-out double to center field, scoring courtesy runners Stine and John Brazil (Potter Valley, CA) for a 6-5 lead.  Joe Riddle (Bakersfield, CA) capped the five-run assault, rapping a single down the right field line to plate Karkenny and give the Mustangs a two-run advantage.

Klausmeier allowed a one-out double in the eighth but nothing else, protecting that lead as the clubs headed to the ninth.

The Mustangs had a chance to expand the margin in their final at-bat, loading the bases with two outs but Karkenny flew out to center field to end the threat.

That would come back to bite the Mustangs in dramatic fashion.

After Klausmeier surrendered a lead-off single in last of the ninth, he got the next two batters, putting his team within one out of a game-one win.  However, that final out never materialized as the Firestorm kept the inning alive with a single and then loaded the bases on a walk.  That set up a showdown with ACU’s Ryan Jones, who took a 1-2 pitch from Klausmeier and hit it over the fence in right field for a walk-off grand slam, stunning the Mustangs and setting off a Firestorm celebration.

With the loss, Klausmeier fell to 1-1.

At the plate, the Mustangs were outhit by the Firestorm for the second straight game, 12-9.  Karkenny led the Mustangs with a 3-5, three-rbi performance while Krahn went 2-3.

Fortunately, the Mustangs had Richardson to turn to in the nightcap and the righthander turned in a performance that offset the disappointment of the opener.

After five days off, the Mustangs return to action next weekend, welcoming Menlo for a pair of non-conference doubleheaders on Friday and Saturday.  The first pitch on Friday will be thrown at 11:45am.

Comment On This Story
COMMENT POLICY: We welcome comments from individuals and businesses. All comments are moderated. Comments are subject to rejection if they are vulgar, combative, or in poor taste.
REAL NAMES ONLY: All posters must use their real individual or business name. This applies equally to Twitter account holders who use a nickname.

0 Comments

You can be the first one to leave a comment.

Leave a Comment


WATCH NOW
LOCAL SPORTS HEADLINES
Thursday, Sep 19, 2024
The Master's women's volleyball team opened Great Southwest Athletic Conference play on the road in Prescott, Ariz. on Wednesday, Sept. 18, defeating the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Eagles in straight sets 28-26, 25-22, 25-18.
Thursday, Sep 19, 2024
College of the Canyons freshman Sahya Kitabatake shot a two-under-par round of 70 to tie for medalist honors while helping the Cougars place fourth at the Western State Conference tournament at Sterling Hills Golf Club in Camarillo on Monday, Sept. 16.
Wednesday, Sep 18, 2024
The Master's University cross-country teams continued their successful 2024 campaigns with strong finishes at the BIOLA Invitational on Friday, Sept. 13 at Craig Regional Park in Fullerton, Calif.
Tuesday, Sep 17, 2024
No. 21 College of the Canyons football team knocked off No. 5 Fullerton College 29-13 on Saturday night behind a stifling defensive effort and five field goals from Luis Rodriguez.
Tuesday, Sep 17, 2024
Six of the seven Foothill League Varsity football teams begin league play Friday night, Sept. 20.

Latest Additions to SCVNews.com
The College of the Canyons Aerospace and Science Team has received a $300,000 grant from NASA’s Mentoring and Opportunities in STEM with Academic Institutions for Community Success program.
COC Receives $300,000 NASA Grant to Expand Student Access to STEM Fields
Bring along a furry friend to the Santa Clarita Child & Family Center's Purple Walk Domestic Violence Awareness 5K on Saturday, Oct. 5 from 8-11 a.m. at the Center’s main facility 21545 Centre Pointe Parkway, Santa Clarita, CA 91350.
Oct. 5: 5K Purple Walk Dogs Against Domestic Violence
Written and directed by Braddon Mendelson, produced by Heather Mendelson, and co-produced by Olive Branch Theatricals and Noisivision Studios, "Provenance" will take stage at the The MAIN, 24266 Main Street, Santa Clarita, CA 91321, Friday through Sunday, Sept. 27-29.
Sept. 27-29: Braddon Mendelson to Present ‘Provenance’ at The MAIN
The Master's women's volleyball team opened Great Southwest Athletic Conference play on the road in Prescott, Ariz. on Wednesday, Sept. 18, defeating the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Eagles in straight sets 28-26, 25-22, 25-18.
TMU Women’s Volleyball Opens Conference Play with Road Win
College of the Canyons freshman Sahya Kitabatake shot a two-under-par round of 70 to tie for medalist honors while helping the Cougars place fourth at the Western State Conference tournament at Sterling Hills Golf Club in Camarillo on Monday, Sept. 16.
Kitabatake Medals, Canyons Women Take Fourth at Sterling Hills Golf Club
One of the city of Santa Clarita community’s most cherished parks, David March Park is set to expand, Thursday, Sept. 26, at 10 a.m., 28310 North Via Joyce Drive, Santa Clarita, CA 91350 with a groundbreaking ceremony.
Sept. 26: Community Invited to David March Park Expansion Groundbreaking
SRD Straightening Reigns, a therapeutic organization offering equine assisted psychotherapy, has been awarded $278,870 from the California State budget to improve mental health services.
California Awards $278,870 in Funding to SRD Straightening Reins
The Santa Clarita Community College District Board of Trustees appointed Carlos Guerrero to fill the board seat in Area 5, effective immediately, at its special Wednesday, Sept. 18 meeting.
COC Board of Trustees Appoints Carlos Guerrero to Area 5 Seat
California Institute of the Arts alums Alyssa Dressman Lehner and Clara Plestis captured Emmy Awards at the 76th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards.
Two Calartians Win 2024 Creative Arts Emmy Awards
Valencia High School's Choir will hold a fall concert, "Broadway, Movies & Media" at 7 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 26 at 7 p.m. and Friday, Sept. 27, 7 p.m. at the Saugus High School Theatre, 21900 Centurion Way, Santa Clarita, CA 91350.
Sept. 26-27: Valencia High Choir Presents Fall Concert ‘Broadway, Movies & Media’
As my wife, Virginia, and I stroll through our magnificent city, we admire the beautiful paseos and the expansive open spaces, but what really catches our eye, is the diverse works of art at every turn.
Bill Miranda | Santa Clarita Arts, a Journey Through Creativity
The California Department of Public Health is encouraging all Californians to get vaccinated this season to protect themselves and loved ones from respiratory viruses.
CDPH: Stay Up to Date on Vaccines
The Friends of Santa Clarita Public Library in collaboration with Santa Clarita Valley Libraries will have a silent Book Auction beginning at 9 a.m. Monday, Sept. 30, through 10 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 7.
Sept. 30: Public Libraries to Host Silent Book Auctions
1863 - Gen. Edward F. Beale loans money to A.A. Hudson and Oliver P. Robbins to erect toll house in Newhall Pass [story]
toll house
The Counties of Los Angeles and San Bernardino today announced the opening of multiple joint Local Assistance Centers to assist residents impacted by the Bridge and Line Fires.
Joint Assistance Centers Open for Residents Impacted by Bridge, Line Fires
Valencia Gynecology Associates, owned by longtime Santa Clarita Valley OB-GYN physician Don Nishiguchi, MD, has joined the Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital network. 
Valencia Gynecology Assoc. Joins Henry Mayo Network
JCI Santa Clarita is proud to announce the upcoming Veteran’s Resource Fair, scheduled to take place on Sept. 21 at William S. Hart Park. 
Sept. 21: JCI Invites All Veterans to Upcoming Resource Fair
A "friendies" field tournament  is being  hosted by the Saugus Instrumental Music program, with support from Valencia High, later this month. 
Sept. 21: All Valley Showcase Comes to Valencia High
Public, member-supported 88.5 FM The SoCal Sound, Southern California’s leading Triple-A (adult album alternative) format radio station has announced the lineup for its inaugural “Year-End Bash” taking place on Saturday, Dec. 7.
Dec. 7: CSUN Owned 88.5-FM The SoCal Sound Announces “Year End Bash” Lineup featuring Ben Gibbard
The Master's University cross-country teams continued their successful 2024 campaigns with strong finishes at the BIOLA Invitational on Friday, Sept. 13 at Craig Regional Park in Fullerton, Calif.
TMU Women Win, Men Place Second at XC Invitational
Sheriff’s Department Announces New Law Enforcement Gang Policy
LASD Announces New Policy on Law Enforcement Gangs
The biology department at California State University, Northridge has stayed committed to promoting STEM research carried out by K-12 students and teachers in the Los Angeles Unified School District.
CSUN Student Research Journal Celebrates 28 Years of Inspiring Scientific Imagination
Did you know the SCVEDC has an interactive, online tool that provides themed virtual tours of the amazing features the community has to offer? 
SCVEDC Offers Virtual Business Tours of the Santa Clarita Valley
California Institute of the Arts alum and visionary filmmaker Tim Burton (Film/Video 1979) was honored with the 2,788th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
CalArts Alum Tim Burton Receives Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame
SCVNews.com