03/07/09

Baseball Completes First Sweep of the Season

Carls earned the win in game one

Anderson pitched to the game two win

Costa Mesa, Calif. - The Vanguard baseball team tallied 22 hits today en route to a Golden State Athletic Conference sweep over the San Diego Christian Hawks. Sweeping a sweep for the first time this season, the Lions out-lasted the Hawks 11-9 in game one and completed the sweep with a 9-1 victory in the seven-inning nightcap.

The Lions batted around in the bottom of the first inning of game one, chasing SDCC starting pitcher Sergio Panela after eight batters and five runs scored. VU started out with five straight hits, including a two-run homer by Keegan Freeman and a two-run double by Josh Manzano. Combining six hits, a walk, hit batter, and a Hawk error, the Lions posted eight runs, capped by a two-run single by Jacob Wood.

The eight-run outburst gave VU starting pitcher Brian Lewis room to breathe as he had allowed a pair of runs in the top of the first. SDCC added two more runs in the second as the Hawks rapped four more hits off Lewis.

Vanguard increased its lead to 9-4 in the fourth inning when Eric Krzysiak delivered a leadoff single and courtesy runner Zach Falk later scored on a wild pitch.

Jesus Nevarez singled off Lewis to begin the top of the sixth inning and a throwing error by Lewis put the Lions in a jam with two runners in scoring position with no outs. A two-run single by Terry West brought the Hawks within three runs, 9-6. Lewis walked the next batter before handing the ball and the mound over to reliever Brandon Godfrey. Another VU error, a walk, and a two-run single by Manny Hernandez tied the game at 9-9 before Godfrey could get out of the inning.

Austin Bellanich, who relieved Panela in the middle of the first inning, entered the bottom of the seventh with a tie game and promptly recorded the first two outs. However, Freeman drew a walk to continue the inning and Jason Shaniel took advantage of the opportunity by launching a home run down the right field line.

Shaniel's blast proved to be enough for the Lions as reliever Chris Carls pitched three shutout innings to record his first win of the season.

Vanguard made the most of early opportunities in game two as they scored all nine runs of a 9-1 win in the second and third innings. SDCC starting pitcher Eddie Pryor lasted 2.1 innings as the Lions scored three runs in the second on a solo homer by Brett Siegmund and a two-run shot by Nick Akins.

Pryor allowed a two-run single by Krzysiak and a run-scoring single by Manzano in the third inning before being relieved by Tim Acheson. Brett Halstead and Falk added RBI singles for the Lions to complete a six-run inning to take a 9-1 lead over the Hawks.

VU junior Mike Anderson started on the hill and pitched a couple of shutout innings before he allowed a solo home run to Ryan Inverso in the top of the third. Anderson completed six innings for his third win of the season, giving up only four hits while striking out five in the victory. Siegmund pitched a scoreless seventh inning in relief of Anderson to complete the win and the sweep for the Lions.

Siegmund, Manzano, Wood, Schaniel, and Krzysiak had three hits each today, combining for 15 of VU's 22 hits in the double header. Improving to 5-10 overall and 3-8 in GSAC, the Lions hope to continue today's offensive output next Wednesday when they travel to NAIA third-ranked Point Loma Nazarene to take on the first-place Sea Lions.