MESA, Ariz. – In a first round matchup at the GSAC Baseball Tournament at Hohokam Stadium, No. 4 seed The Master’s surged past No. 1 seed Hope International with an 8-3 victory. The win was fueled by a crucial eight-run explosion across the third and eighth innings.

The Master’s opened the scoring in the third inning as Owen Payn’s RBI triple drove in Tommy Gwinn, followed by Scotty Pieper’s RBI single that plated Payn. The offense erupted again in the eighth inning with six runs, highlighted by Austin Young’s solo home run to right field. Ty Beck and Jacob Kowes added key hits to set the stage for Cason Brownell, whose fielder’s choice and a throwing error by Hope International allowed two runs to score. Gwinn later added a two-RBI single, and Wyatt Wagner chipped in with an RBI fielder’s choice before Young closed the inning with a sacrifice fly.

Hope International tried to rally late, cutting into the deficit with two runs in the bottom of the eighth. Colby Moran’s two-run homer to right-center drove in Kyle Harvey. In the ninth, Matthew Pinal’s groundout brought home Julian Francois for Hope International’s third and final run.

Offensive highlights for The Master’s included Young, who went 1-for-3 with a home run and two RBIs, and Gwinn, who collected two RBIs on a key single. For Hope International, Moran led the way with his two-run blast, while Francois contributed a double and a run scored.

On the mound, The Master’s pitcher Carson Ohl earned a complete-game victory, allowing three earned runs on seven hits while striking out five. His counterpart, Trey Seeley of Hope International, took the loss despite striking out seven over seven innings, yielding four runs (three earned) on seven hits.

The win puts The Master’s into the winner’s bracket semifinal on Wednesday at noon. Hope International moves into an elimination game this evening at 6 p.m.