The Mustangs came up with an emotional, nail-biting win against Scripps Ranch 2-1 Thursday, senior night for SDA’s varsity baseball team. Through the first three innings, the score remained at zero for both teams. However, both teams had many opportunities to put runs on the board,  including SDA loading the bases loaded in the third but failing to score.

In the bottom of the fourth inning, SDA again put themselves in a great position to break the tie. They had the bases loaded with no outs. SDA’s next batter grounded into a fielder’s choice double play, but the damage had already been done and SDA scored the first run of the game. This was the only run of the game until the top of the seventh.

SDA was on the verge of coming up with a huge win. With two outs and only one left to go, Scripps Ranch was not done. Scripps Ranch hit a clutch homerun on a potential last pitch to send the game to extra innings.

During the first inning of extras, the game stayed tied with neither team scoring a run; it seemed as if neither team would be able to score again. Then, the ninth inning came and again SDA was able to get out of the inning without allowing a run.

When SDA was up in the bottom of the ninth, senior Mark Kaplan had a chance to deliver with a runner on first base. He definitely did, hitting a walk off double as the runner on first quickly sprinted around the bases and emphatically slid into home plate.

By this time, the team was already storming the field and surrounding Kaplan. Meanwhile, the large and excited crowd was going crazy. The win capped off a 5-7 season for the Mustangs.