By Ron Smith
April 12, 2019
 
(SANTA BARBARA, Calif.) Westmont Baseball (29-10, 16-10 GSAC), ranked at number 18 in the NAIA, did its part to squeeze the top of the Golden State Athletic Conference standings by sweeping #23 The Master's (27-11-1, 16-8) in today's doubleheader. The Warriors won the first game 10-7, then took the second game 6-5.
 
At the beginning of the day, just four games separated the top six team in the GSAC standings with The Master's holding a one game lead over #14 Vanguard, Hope International and Arizona Christian. Westmont entered the day three games back in fifth place and William Jessup was in sixth, four games back.
 
Hope and Vanguard split their doubleheader today while William Jessup took two from Menlo and Arizona Christian claimed two from Ottawa.
 
At the end of today's games, the margin between first and sixth place was narrowed to just three games with Arizona Christian sitting on top holding onto a one-game lead over The Master's, Vanguard and Hope International.
 
Westmont remains in fifth place but instead of being three games out of first is now just two games out and just one behind the three-way tie at second. William Jessup is in sixth place, three games behind the leaders.
 
At the end of the regular season, only the top five teams will be granted a berth in the upcoming GSAC Championship.
 
Grant Gardner (7-3) started the first game for the Warriors and was awarded the win in his final start at Russ Carr Field. Gardner pitched seven and one-third innings, giving up four runs (three earned) on five hits. He struck out six and issued just one walk.
 
The Master's scored first on a solo home run in the first inning by Anthony Lepre. Bryce Morison answered in the bottom of the opening frame with a two-run home run to right center. It would be the first of three home runs that Morison would produce on the day.
 
Westmont added four more runs in the second to take a 6-1 lead. After a lead-off walk by Taylor Bush, Andrew Bayard doubled down the right field line, advancing Bush to third. Alex Stufft hit a ground ball to short that allowed Bush to score. A throwing error on the play allowed Stufft to take second and Bayard to move to third.
 
Taylor Garcia then laid a bunt down the third baseline, which produced an unusual result. The ball was fielded by Kameron Quitno, the Mustang's third baseman. Quitno started to throw home to try and retire Bayard on the safety squeeze. However, Bayard thought better of the attempt to score and returned to third.
 
Stufft, meanwhile, had made his way from second to third and it appeared for a moment as if the Warriors would have two runners at third. Quitno held up on his throw home and instead wheeled around and threw to third. However, no one was covering the bag at third and the ball went into left field. With the misplay, Bayard and Stufft both dashed for home while Garcia made his way to second.
 
Tyler Roper came up next and drove a single into right field that advanced Garcia to third. Two outs later, Nicky Sablock singled to right field, driving in Garcia.
 
The bottom of the fourth saw Morison belt his second two-run home run of the game. This one left the deepest part of the park, travelling an estimated 420 feet over the left-center field fence.
 
In the bottom of the sixth, Westmont increased its advantage to 9-1 when Sablock singled up the middle to score Paul Mezurashi from second base.
 
 The Master's rallied in the top of the eighth, scoring eight runs to pull within four (9-5). Aaron Shackelford drove in the first run with a single down the right field line. Lepre drove in one with a double to right center and Will Batz drove in another with a single through the right side. The fourth run scored while Nick Tuttle singled to left.
 
Westmont tacked on one more run in the bottom half of the eighth when Sablock drove in his third run of the game with a double down the right field line.
 
The Mustangs made the game interesting in the top of the ninth when they added two runs on an RBI-single to left by Max Maitland and an RBI-double by Lepre, but it was not enough to catch the Warriors.
 
In game two, Cory Dawson (7-3) would be awarded the win after pitching six innings. Dawson gave up five runs on eight hits, struck out three and walked two.
 
In the bottom of the first, Morison recorded his third two-run home run of the day, this one down the left field line. The Master's evened up the score in the top of the second when Quitno drove a two-RBI single into center field. However, the Warriors picked up two more runs in the bottom of the third on a two-RBI single to left by Bush.
 
In the bottom of the fifth, Luke Coffey put the Warriors on top 5-2 with a solo home run to left field. The lead would not last long, however. Quitno evened the score at five-all with a three-RBI home run to right field in the sixth inning of the seven-inning game.
 
Westmont recaptured the lead after Stufft reached second on an error to start the bottom half of the inning. Garcia produced a sacrifice bunt to advance Stufft to third, bring up Roper. The Warrior catcher drove a ball to deep center field, resulting in a sacrifice fly to score what turned out to be the winning run.
 
In the top of the seventh, Bailey Reid was called upon to close out the game. After walking Shackelford to lead off the inning, Reid had a one-one count on Lepre when he left the game with an injury. Sablock was asked to come in from left field for the Warriors to take over duties on the mound.
 
Sablock stuck out Lepre for the first out, then pitched to Roy Verdejo. On a two-two count, Verdejo drove a ball into right center that seemed destined to roll all the way to the fence. Before it could find the ground, however, the ball was intercepted by Austin Muller whose body was parallel with and about a foot off the ground when he made a spectacular catch.
 
With two away, Sablock coaxed Batz into a pop up that ended the game and gave Sablock his first save of the year.
 
The same two teams will go at it again tomorrow in another doubleheader. Before the games, Westmont will honor its 15 seniors. The ceremony begins at 11:00 a.m.