Santa Clarita, Calif. - Reese Field - Senior Alec Rosales roped a pinch-hit RBI-single in the top of the ninth inning that lifted the Vanguard University baseball team to a 3-2 victory in game one of a GSAC double header at No. 19-ranked The Master's College. The Mustangs raced past the Lions 14-1 in game two to salvage a split of the first two games of a four-game series between the teams.
Batting first, the Lions wasted no time getting on the board against Mustang ace Charlie Gillies, who pitched eight solid innings but ended with no decision. Hank Yates led off for the Lions, reaching base on a dropped third strike for the first base runner of the day. J.T. Truhett followed with a double to center field, but Yates scored when Truhett's hit was misplayed in the outfield. Advancing to third on the play, Truhett trotted home two outs later on a run-scoring single by shortstop David Kiriakos. Both runs were unearned, but the Lions carried the 2-0 lead into the bottom of the first against the Mustangs.
A leadoff walk by Tanner Leighton set the table for the Mustang offense against Lion senior southpaw Gabriel Garcia, who came in to the game with an impressive strikeout to walk ratio. The free pass would come back to haunt him as Steve Karkenny doubled to right-center field to plate Leighton and cut VU's lead in half. Garcia struck out two of the next three batters and escaped without further damage, maintaining the 2-1 lead. It was de ja vu in the third inning as Leighton drew another leadoff walk against Garcia. Stealing second base, Leighton advanced to third on a single by Karkenny and scored one out later on a game-tying single by Spencer Downs.
Gillies would hold the Lions scoreless from the second through the eighth innings, allowing just five hits in eight complete innings of work, while walking two and striking out 10 Lions. Garcia lasted 7.1 innings and gave up only four hits, four walks, and struck out nine Mustangs. Both starters left with the game tied 1-1 and received no decision in the game.
Garcia started the eighth inning, allowing yet another walk to begin the frame and a sacrifice bunt to put pinch-runner Caleb Halvorson in scoring position. However, junior right-hander Kevin Ponzo answered the call to the bullpen for the Lions. Repeating an impressive relief performance from last week, Ponzo notched a strikeout and a fielder's choice to get out of the inning unscathed and maintain the 2-2 tie.
Tommy Kister relieved Gillies to face Vanguard in the top of the ninth and was greeted by a single from Kiriakos to start the inning. Nikko Tountas bunted Kiriakos over to second base but Kister struck out the next batter to increase the drama. Rosales came to the plate and capitalized on his pinch-hitting opportunity with a two-out, go-ahead single to push home Kiriakos with the eventual game-winning run.
The bottom of the ninth was not easy for Ponzo as Cody Harris doubled to lead off the inning and put the tying run on base. Ponzo struck out Sam Robison, but the biggest play of the game came when Lion catcher John Collins threw out pinch-runner James Sloan trying to swipe third base. The play proved to be critical as Jonathan Popadics followed with a two-out double to keep the Mustangs' hopes alive. However, Ponzo (3-0) would induce a game-ending grounder from Leighton to close the scorebook and collect the win. VU's 3-2 victory gave the Lions a four-game winning streak, tying their second-longest of the season, as they headed into game two against the hosts.
Outhitting the Mustangs 7-6 in game one, the Lions began game two with the hope of swiping the double header from the Mustangs on their home field. Game two belonged to the Mustangs, however, as The Master's unloaded a 14-hit attack against six Lions pitchers in the seven-inning nightcap.
Yates and Bryce Arroyo lead the Vanguard offense with two hits each, supplying more than half of VU's seven hits. Arroyo spotted the Lions a 1-0 lead in the top of the first with a two-out solo homer, tying him for the team lead with three round trippers this season. However, that would be the extent of Vanguard scoring in game two. Daniel Sheaffer (5-2) pitched six innings of five-hit ball against the Lions and James Scott pitched a scoreless seventh inning to complete TMC's 14-1 victory.
Freshman Nik Klungreseter (0-1) started on the mound for the Lions in game two, giving up three earned runs on five hits in 1.2 innings of work. Klungreseter, who took the loss, J.R. Bromberg, Terry Unruh, Brian Hopper, and Joshua Wells combined to allow 14 runs on 14 hits in a combined five innings of work, while Tucker Woods pitched a scoreless sixth inning as VU's fifth reliever.
Vanguard ended the day 18-16 overall and 8-14 in conference, while the No. 19 Mustangs moved to 29-15 overall and remain in third place at 14-12 in GSAC. The teams will rematch on Saturday concluding the series with a double header at Vanguard, beginning at 11:00 a.m.
