A five-run fourth inning, including a three-run homerun by third baseman Jordan Bottenfield, fueled the Warriors 9-7 win over #18 The Master's (24-12, 14-9) on Wednesday afternoon at Reese Field in Santa Clarita.
The Warriors took an early lead on an RBI-single to right field by shortstop Zeke Torres which scored second baseman Mark Boujikian. But the Mustangs answered back quickly when first baseman Caleb Mintz put the ball over the right field wall for the first of four Mustang homeruns.
Warrior first baseman Mark Magdaleno was hit by a pitch to lead off the top of the fourth inning. One out later, Magdaleno stole second base. A single by designated hitter Colten Christian drove Magdaleno home, giving the Warriors a 2-1 lead. Torres then singled to right-center, moving Christianson over to second base. Terrell Wong was called upon to pinch hit and produced an infield single to load the bases with one away.
A ground ball to the right side of the infield by right fielder Brent Meschuk was all Christianson needed to score from third. Wong was out at second on the play, but the Warriors still had runners on the corners when Bottenfield stepped to the plate and powered the ball past the right field fence.
The Master's narrowed Westmont's advantage to 6-2 in the bottom of the fifth on a solo homerun by third baseman Eric Blackwell, but the Warriors scored three more runs in the top of the sixth to take a 9-2 lead.
After Christianson led off with a single, Torres reached on an error and both runners moved up on a pass ball. With two runners in scoring position, Wong, who had remained in the game, tripled to center field to drive in Christianson and Torres. An infield single by Meschuk brought Wong home from third base.
The Mustang's rallied in the bottom of the seventh and scored three runs, two as the result of a homerun by first baseman Michael Bando. The Master's scored one more in each of the remaining innings.
Timothy Crabbe earned the win after giving up five runs on just four hits in seven innings of work. Crabbe struck out eight and walked six. Dan Price pitched in the ninth inning and was awarded a save – his third of the year. The Mustang's Tyler Bersano was charged with the loss.
With the win, Westmont's record improves to 10-25 overall and 7-18 in conference play. Ten wins mark the most by a Warrior club since 2001 and serves as another indication of an improving team. The Warriors' team batting average is up .025 over last season while their team ERA is down by 1.82.
Westmont and The Master's will face off again tomorrow, this time at Russ Carr Field on the Westmont campus. First pitch is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.
