The Master’s University had visiting Vanguard right where it wanted Thursday afternoon with the GSAC’s best pitching staff protecting a two-run lead after six innings.

Then the roof caved in on the Mustangs as the 20th-ranked Lions scored two runs in the seventh and four more in the eighth to earn a 7-3 victory in the first of a crucial three-game series at Herwaldt Stadium.

After dropping their sixth game in a row, the No. 11 Mustangs are now 5-9 overall and, more importantly, 0-4 in conference play.

The 3-1 advantage entering the final three frames looked safe with the way senior starter Aaron Alexander was dealing. The righthander allowed a single run in the second inning and nothing else through six innings, holding the Lions to just two hits along the way.

However, the next two innings proved to be his and the Mustangs’ undoing. In the seventh, the Lions evened the score at 3-3 on a Michael Fuchs’ two-run double and in the eighth Fuchs capped a four-run uprising with another two-run, two-bagger, this one to the gap in right-center field. That hit came off reliever Scott Savage, who had replaced Alexander earlier in the frame.

Alexander (2-1) wound up going seven innings, striking out three and surrendering four runs on five hits.

The deficit wasn’t an insurmountable one for the Mustangs, who had chances in the final two innings to draw closer. In the eighth, they put two runners on when Danny Lutz doubled and Ryan Bricker walked with one out. However, a flyout and a foul out ended the threat.

In the ninth, the Mustangs brought the tying run to the plate when they loaded the bases on a Jonah Jarrard walk, a Jason Karkenny single, and a Dalton deVries base hit. Once again, though, they couldn’t get the big hit as a fielder’s choice closed out the game.

Earlier, the Mustangs spotted the Lions a run in the second and then galloped past the visitors with two runs in the fourth and another in the fifth. In the fourth, a Scott Savage double plated Jarrard and Karkenny, who had both singled to start the frame.

An inning later, the Mustangs expanded the lead to 3-1 when David Sheaffer drew a lead-off walk, advanced to third base on a Karkenny single an out later, and scored on Savage’s sacrifice fly to center field.

Although the Mustangs couldn’t hold the lead down the stretch, they were encouraged by an offense that broke out of a recent slump with 11 hits. Karkenny led the way with three hits and Lutz had two more.

After a day off, the two clubs resume their series on Saturday when they play a doubleheader that starts at 11:00am at Herwaldt Stadium.