FULLERTON – David Shackelford finished 4-for-5 and Colby Moran went 3-for-5 with five RBI as the Hope International baseball team swept a four-game GSAC series from The Master's, winning 14-9 on Saturday at Amerige Park.

This marks the first series sweep against TMU since 2017.

Royce Clayton was 2-for-4, as part of an HIU 13-hit attack.

The two teams combined for six home runs – three by each team. Shackelford, Moran and Matias Nolasco went deep for HIU. The Mustangs countered with the long ball from Scotty Pieper, Ty Beck and Jack Drew.

HIU used a four-run third and five-run fifth to ultimately subdue the Mustangs.

The Mustangs took a 2-0 lead in the first as Beck hit a two-run homer. Nolasco hit a solo shot in the second to halve the deficit for the Royals.

HIU starter Tyler Tilton struck out the first two Mustangs to begin the third inning, but walked the bases loaded. Two wild pitches in the inning forced in Beck for the third TMU run.

TMU reliever Carson Knapp experienced some control issues in the third, as HIU took full advantage. Knapp hit Henry Borjas with a pitch and allowed a single to Shackelford. He then threw two consecutive wild pitches as Borjas scored to trim the Mustang lead to 3-2. 

After a walk to Isaiah Lane, Moran stepped up and crushed a three-run dinger to straight away center field as HIU grabbed the 5-3 lead.

Justin Allen threw 2.0 innings of relief for the Royals, allowing a fifth inning run as HIU remained in the lead at 5-4.

The Royals erupted for five runs in the bottom half of the fifth, getting RBI hits from Lane, Morgan and Clayton. Evan Jaquez roped a two-RBI double to left center to score Moran and Clayton as HIU extended its advantage to 10-4.

Pieper blasted a two-run homer to right in the sixth and Drew homered with an opposite field solo shot in the seventh to bring the Mustangs within 10-7.

But two errors by the Mustangs in the bottom half allowed two unearned runs to score, with Eddie Cotto's double bringing in Jaquez. Clayton came home earlier on a throwing error by the TMU first baseman.

Back-to-back RBI groundouts by Cooper Carter and Pieper gave TMU hope in closing the deficit to 12-9 in the eighth. But Shackelford homered to lead off in the bottom half, and Moran's RBI single gave the Royals a five-run cushion.

Logan Long pitched a scoreless ninth for the Royals, which improved to 13-6 overall and 4-0 in the GSAC. The Mustangs fell to 10-12 overall and 0-4 in conference play.

Allen got the win for HIU, while Knapp took the loss for TMU.

HIU continues GSAC action on the road against La Sierra for a four-game series. The two teams play a Thursday doubleheader in Riverside, beginning at 11:00 a.m.