Costa Mesa, Calif. - The Lions used a game-one rally to split the GSAC baseball twin bill against the No. 12-ranked Fresno Pacific Sunbirds by scores of 3-2 and 1-5.
In the first game of the weekday double header, the Lions needed to come back from a 0-2 deficit in the seventh inning to capture the win.
The contest was scoreless until the top of the seventh inning when Fresno scored two runs as Alec Mehrten singled up the middle to score Tyler Pryor and Andrew Douglas.
Vanguard responded in the bottom of the seventh with three unearned runs, including the eventual game-winner that scored on an RBI single from Jacob Domingos.
The offense for the Lions collected six hits, three walks and three strikeouts for the contest, leaving six runners on base.
Pena was walked twice and scored a run while Domingos had VU's only RBI for the contest. Kyle Hardman, Jeremiah Mejia and Brandon Pesante also had a hit for the Lions, and Bryson Rahier went 2-3 in the game.
Fresno Pacific scored two runs off five hits including two RBI. The team had five strikeouts and three walks for the game.
Vanguard starting pitcher Mike Leal (2-2) won game one by allowing only two runs and five hits, walking two and striking out two batters in eight innings. Robert Purpura closed out the game striking out one batter in the ninth inning for his second save of the season.
FPU's Matt Mazzoni went 6.2 innings and gave up five hits and was charged with two unearned runs after being relieved by Michael Jimenez. Jimenez faced two batters but was the victim of a crucial FPU error and gave up what became the game winning hit and run. Stephen Lozier completed the game for the Sunbirds.
The nightcap of the 9x9 contest belonged to the offense of Fresno Pacific, with the Sunbirds gaining the 5-1 victory.
The second game remained scoreless until the top of the third inning when Fresno Pacific put one run on the board. The Sunbirds added another run to their lead in the top of the sixth inning when Alec Mehrten reached on an error and scored off a wild pitch.
In the eighth inning, Fresno Pacific blew the game open adding three more runs, as the combination of two walks, a hit batter, a balk, a wild pitch, and two bunts gave FPU a 5-0 lead.
Vanguard's only run came in the ninth inning as Pena singled, stole second base, and scored on a Sunbird error. The Lions tallied only three other hits in game two, including one from Pesante, Domingos, and Jason Dovel.
Fresno Pacific's headliners were Andrew Douglas (2-for-5) and Mehrten who scored two runs. Andrew Karlan also had a hit and a run in the contest.
The Pride starter Corey Kohnke (0-2) pitched seven innings, allowing four runs off five hits, striking out seven and walking five batters. Joseph Vega III gave up another run and a hit in one inning of work, before Joshua Wells finished the game for the Lions.
Sunbirds starting pitcher Ryan Castadio (4-2) completed the game giving up only a single run and four hits.
The split between the two teams brings the Vanguard record to 16-19 on the season, 12-13 in GSAC. The Fresno Pacific Sunbirds season record stands at 23-13, 17-9 in conference play.
The Lions play the Sunbirds again this Saturday, April 9th in Fresno, California, with the double header scheduled to begin at 2:00 p.m.
