Phoenix, AZ- In a series that appeared on a paper as potentially a battle of low scoring pitching duels turned out to be anything but on Saturday as Arizona Christian and The Master's combined for 35 runs and 60 hits.  Unfortunately, ACU could not hold late leads as TMU earned the sweep with scores of 8-7 and 11-9.

The day began with the Mustangs (17-17, 8-10 GSAC) scoring four runs in the top of the first in game one to set the offensive tone.

In the third, the Firestorm (18-15, 9-10 GSAC) found the scoreboard for the first time on the day when Juniors Gary Sheffield and Marco Castilla produced back-to-back doubles.  Junior Jonathan Nunnally, Jr. followed with an RBI single to plate Castilla.

Still chasing two in the seventh, Sheffield doubled again, Castilla walked, and Senior Hector Ortiz connected on a frozen rope home run to left (his fourth of the year) to take a 5-4 lead.  Two outs later, Junior Kyle Robbins (4-5 in game one) kept the inning alive with a single up the middle.  Junior Dom Rodriguez then singled home pinch runner Landon Teramoto.

But the 6-4 edge did not last as the Master's answered with a four run eighth.

ACU scored a run in the bottom of the eighth to make it an 8-7 game but they would not get any closer.

Sophomore Baylor Giannini, Senior Andrew Mirasty, and Junior Bobby Moretti combined for four innings of scoreless relief in Saturday's opener.

Game two on Saturday started the same way as the first two games of the series started with Max Maitland singling and coming around to score for TMU.  They scored two in the inning.

In the second, ACU sent ten to the plate as they used three straight singles, a walk, hit batter, another hit batter, and a two run single from Nunnally to grab a 5-2 lead.

After The Master's scored one in the top of the third, Arizona Christian responded with a three run bottom half of the inning highlighted by Sheffield doubling home two.

However, TMU immediately countered with a four run fourth to make it an 8-7 game.

Nunnally drilled his ninth home run of the season leading off the bottom of the fourth to create a two run contest.

Unfortunately, the lead was not safe as TMU tied the score at 9-9 in the sixth.

ACU missed a golden opportunity in the sixth with runners at first and second and nobody out but could not even move the runners up 90 feet.  In the bottom of the seventh, a bases loaded chance was wasted.

An error in the top of the eighth opened the door for the Mustangs to cash in two runs and the Firestorm could not answer and were left wondering about chances missed.

Both Senior Jake Howard and Rodriguez collected three hits (all singles) in the series finale.

Currently, the Firestorm are scheduled to play Providence Christian on Thursday to begin a California trip.  However, Arizona Christian and William Jessup are in talks to somehow fit in two rainout make-up games as ACU travels west this weekend.  Stay tuned for more details.