It’s been quite the week for The Master’s University baseball team.
On Monday, TMU’s hot streak continued as Michael Sexton homered and doubled in the go-ahead run, rallying the fourth-seeded Mustangs past the fifth-seeded LSU-Shreveport Pilots 8-4 in the first game of the NAIA National Championship Opening Round Lawrenceville Bracket on the campus of Georgia Gwinnett College in Lawrenceville, GA.
Then, on Monday night, TMU took down No. 1 seed and tournament host Georgia Gwinnett College 4-3. After facing a 3-1 deficit, TMU surged past the Grizzlies by scoring two runs in the seventh and one run in the eighth when Aaron Shackelford’s squeeze bunt scored Rick Sottile from third base.
Today, TMU will play Webber International, the tournament’s No. 2 seed, at noon (PDT).
To get to the tournament, TMU had to win its second consecutive GSAC tournament championship with a 7-1 win over Hope International University on May 10.
Repeating as conference tournament champions was the furthest thing from anyone’s mind as TMU started the tournament with a 7-4 loss to Menlo College on May 7, but three days later, following five elimination-game triumphs, the Mustangs were raising the championship hardware.
TMU is looking to advance to its second straight NAIA World Series.
Track and field
Last Saturday, members of The Master’s University men’s track and field program traveled to Santa Barbara to compete in the All On The Line Qualifier on the campus of Westmont College.
Skyler Mikesell’s performance in the 800 meters established him as a national qualifier with an NAIA “B” standard. His time of 1:53.48 set a new personal record and was just shy of setting a new school record.
In the 1500, Alec Franco ran a lifetime best with a time of 4:07.62. In the same 1500 event, Josh Sherfey ran a 3:58.94. Sherfey has qualified for four separate events at the National Championships, but he has his focus set squarely on the opportunity to win a national title in the marathon.
Sherfey could become the second Mustang marathoner to win the NAIA crown, following in the footsteps of Jeff Jackson, who won the event in 2010.
Next up for the Mustangs is the NAIA outdoor Track & Field National Championships from May 25-27 at the Mickey Miller Blackwell Stadium in Gulf Shores, Alabama.
Men’s golf
Today The Master’s University men’s golf team begins its time at the 66th Annual NAIA Men’s Golf National Championships. The tournament will run May Tuesday through Friday on the greens of TPC Deer Run in Silvis, Illinois.
The Mustangs earned a spot in the national tournament after being crowned conference champions for the third straight year when they carded a collective score of 941 (313-316-312) on April 25 at the 2017 GSAC Championship on the greens of the Carlton Oaks Golf Club in Santee.
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