Surprise, Ariz.-- OUAZ Baseball outlasted The Master's in a thrilling 12-inning battle on Thursday night, walking it off 7-6 at KC Royals Practice Field 6. With the win, the Spirit improve to 33-14 overall and 17-8 in GSAC play.
The Spirit wasted no time getting on the board, striking for three runs in the bottom of the first. Evan Mendoza jumpstarted the offense with an RBI double before coming around to score, and Manny Morales added a sacrifice fly to give OUAZ an early 3-0 advantage.
That score held steady thanks to a dominant start from Austin Humphres, who tossed six shutout innings while allowing just three hits and striking out eight. The Mustangs finally broke through in the seventh and then surged ahead with a three-run eighth inning to take a 4-3 lead.
OUAZ responded in the bottom half of the eighth, capitalizing on a wild pitch to even the score at 4-4 and force extra innings. The back-and-forth battle continued from there, with both teams trading runs in the 10th and 11th innings. Mendoza delivered again in the 10th with a clutch RBI double, and the Spirit tied it in the 11th after he was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.
In the 12th, OUAZ completed the comeback. After working the go-ahead run into scoring position, Matthew Carter delivered the decisive blow with a walk-off RBI double to center field, sealing the 7-6 victory.
Mendoza led the offense with two doubles and three RBIs, while Carter's final swing provided the game-winner. On the mound, Josiah Dominguez earned the win after a scoreless inning in extras to shut the door.
OUAZ will continue its series against The Master's tomorrow with a doubleheader beginning at 2 p.m.