The Master’s University baseball team got eight home runs, including two grand slams, to win both games of Saturday’s doubleheader and sweep the three-game series over the Menlo Oaks.

The Mustangs (24-10, 10-8 GSAC) scored 49 runs and banged out 45 hits in the three games to put them into fifth place in the GSAC, a half-game behind Vanguard.

Game One

Austin Young drilled a 1-1 pitch into right field to score Tyler Grodell in the bottom of the ninth to give The Master’s an 18-17 come-from-behind victory.

That’s right, 18-17.

In addition to the 35 runs scored, both teams had 38 hits.

The Master’s scored in every inning, putting up crooked numbers in four of the first five innings, in a game that lasted four hours and 10 minutes.

After jumping out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first, Menlo answered with five runs in the top of the second. Not to be out done, the Mustangs then put seven on the board in the bottom of the second. An Evan Banks double scored two and then two batters later Ryan Mathiesen blasted his fourth home run of the year to plate three more.

TMU added two in the third and one on the fourth before the Oaks added one on the fifth to make it a 12-6 Mustangs lead. A Banks RBI single and a Mathisesen RBI single in the bottom of the fifth made it 14-6 TMU.

But baseball is not finished in just five innings and Menlo proved the point in the top of the sixth when they sent 17 batters to the plate, scoring 10 runs on seven hits to take the lead 16-14. During the half inning, The Master’s used four pitchers before getting out of the inning.

Despite giving up the huge lead, the Mustangs’ offense, which averages 7.6 runs and 9.1 hits per game, never stopped swinging. TMU scored one in the sixth, one in the seventh and another in the eighth to re-take the lead 17-16. Menlo scored one in the top of the ninth to tie it at 17-17, setting up Young’s heroics in the bottom of the ninth.

The Master’s had six pitchers take the mound during the game, with starter Ian Mortensen giving way to Jojo Penberthy in the second inning. Mason Madalinski followed Penberthy, with Cale Mathison, Cade Walker and finally Ryan Mathiesen, who got the win.

Mathiesen was also the star of the game offensively, going 5-for-6 with five RBIs and two runs scored. Banks finished the game 4-for-5 with five RBIs and four runs scored, Cason Brownel went 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run, Austin Young went 2-for-4 with three walks, Ty Beck 2-for 6 and Tyler Grodell 2-for-6.

Game Two

Who would have thought it possible that these two teams would actually score more runs in the second game of the double header.

But that’s exactly what they did.

Will Batz hit for the cycle while Ryan Mathiesen and Evan Banks each hit grand slams in the second inning to help lift The Master’s to a 28-16 win over the Oaks.

The second inning was the biggest single inning all season as the Mustangs sent 16 batters to the plate, scoring 13 runs on just five hits. In addition to the Mathiesen and Banks grand slams, Miles Henderson clubbed a three-run homer in the inning as well.

For Banks it was his second home run of the game as he blasted one in the first inning with Austin Young on base. It was part of a four-run first inning for The Master’s.

TMU added three more in the third off a Batz sac fly that scored Owen Payn, an Austin Young double to right-center to score Tyler Grodell, and a wild pitch that brought Young home.

Batz led off the bottom of the fifth with a home run, the first of what would be eight runs scored by the Mustangs in the inning. TMU sent 12 batters to the plate that inning, with Batz getting the single he needed to complete the cycle on his second at bat of the inning. Mathiesen also homered in the inning, a 3-run bomb, that was his second home run of the game.

Both Mathiesen and Banks had two home runs in game two, three total for the day. Banks now has 13 on the season, one behind team leader Austin Young who has 14. Mathiesen now has six this year.

Menlo scored one in the first, three in the third, three in the fourth, three in the fifth and six in the seventh. On any other day, the Oaks’ 16 runs on 20 hits would have been enough to win the seven-inning game. But not Saturday.

Over the two games played, a total of 79 runs were scored on 76 hits.

The Master’s will stay home on Tuesday as they host Saint Katherine University in a non-conference game. First pitch at Lou Herwaldt Stadium will be at 3 p.m.