The Master’s University baseball team blasted their way through the first game, winning 13-1, but couldn’t get the fuse lit in the second game, losing 8-4 to the Bethesda Flames Saturday in Lou Herwaldt Stadium.

Game 1

The Mustangs (2-1) scored two in the first, four in the second, two in the third and two in the fourth as the bats jumped all over the Flames’ pitching. Three more runs were added in the eighth.

The pitching was just as stellar, with starter Gage Webster going 4.0 innings, giving up no runs and four hits. He was followed by Cale Mathison (2.0 IP, 0 runs, 0 hits, 3 Ks), Ryan Shalkevich (2.0 IP, 1 run, 3 hits 4 Ks), and Ty Beck (1.0 IP, 0 runs, 1 hit, 2 Ks)

“Really happy with our pitching in that game,” said TMU head coach Monte Brooks. “Gage is new (with us) and it was good to see him pound the zone. There was an improvement from his first outing. And it was Cale’s best outing in his career here. Shack was great and a much-improved Ty Beck.

At the plate, Miles Henderson went 3-for-4 with a double, two runs and an RBI. Ryan Mathiesen went 2-for-4 with a triple, three runs scored and an RBI. Ty Beck also tripled and collected three RBI, while both Joe DeFrancisco and Tommy Gwinn hit home runs into a strong wind blowing in from left field.

Of the 12 hits The Master’s had in the game, eight went for extra bases.

“We had some great at bats,” Brooks said. “Some big blows that drove guys in. The home runs, the triples… Those were great at bats.”

Game 2

Despite banging out 11 hits, they were not enough to overcome some timely mistakes as Bethesda took the second game 8-4.

The Flames opened the scoring in the first inning and added another run in the second to go up 2-0.

The Master’s answered in the bottom of the second when Kobe Katayama reached on an error, which allowed Owen Payn  to score to make it a 2-1 game.

Ryan Mathiesen’s two-run home run to straight away centerfield in the fifth looked like it was going to be another big blow to give the Mustangs a win. But Bethesda had an answer of their own in the top of the sixth when they scored two to take a 4-3 lead.

In the bottom half of the sixth, Kobe Katayama blasted his first home run of the season to right-centerfield to tie the game at 4-4.

“Kobe’s jack was big,” Brooks said. “And before that, Austin (Young) gets a hit up the middle and then Ryan’s blast… it was huge, just huge.”

But the Flames grabbed a momentum wave in the top of the seventh that proved too much for the Mustangs, scoring four in the inning to win it 8-4.

“We had bases loaded twice in that game with one out and didn’t score,” Brooks said. “We hit into a double play, and we didn’t stay middle. We had a strikeout and then a groundout to third. We have to come through and didn’t.”

Robbert Scardt started on the bump and went 2.2 innings, giving up two earned runs on five hits with three strike outs. He gave way to Carson Knapp who also went 2.2 innings and gave up two earned runs on three hits while striking out six. Ryan Mathiesen took the loss as he pitched the final 1.1 innings, giving up four runs (three earned) on two base hits.

The Master’s will have a pair of doubleheaders Friday and Saturday against Embry-Riddle (AZ). First game on both days is at 11 a.m. with the second game to follow 30 minutes after the end of the first.