COSTA MESA, Calif. – Vanguard baseball garnered a 4-3 non-conference win over Ashford University on Wednesday at home. The usual suspects, seniors Jason Ochart (Glendale, Calif.) and Ellis Whitman (Seattle, Wash.), managed multi-hit performances recording two hits apiece as the Pride improved to 11-9 on the season.
A walk and a steal from lead-off man Ochart and an RBI base knock from his classmate Bryce Arroyo (Brea, Calif.) put Vanguard in the lead 1-0 in the bottom of the first inning.
Three innings later, VU managed two more runs off of Ashford's starter, McKinley Portice (Pickford, Mich.). Whitman started the inning off on the right foot, singling up the middle for Vanguard. A pair of wild pitches sent him to second and then to third after a fly-out from junior teammate Ian Sakry (Long Beach, Calif). During third-year John Schwer's (Burbank, Calif.) at bat, Whitman scored on yet another wild toss by the Saints. Schwer would walk for the Pride on a full count and steal two bases before junior Jack Daru (Bradenton, Fla.) brought him home with a hard hit single up the center.
In the sixth, senior Brian Hopper (Corona, Calif.) replaced Lions' starter Clayton Voetching (Temecula, Calif.). Voetching threw five innings, struck out two and allowed three hits for the Pride.
Hopper tossed a single inning. He walked one and struck out one in the scoreless slate.
Vanguard tacked on an additional run via a Schwer double and another Ochart single in the sixth to extend the advantage to four runs.
Sophomore Jordan Moak (Sulpur, Calif.) took the mound in the seventh for the Blue and Gold. The Saints tallied a run on Moak's watch and loaded the bases in a third of an inning before VU pitching coach Jordan Oseguera called senior Scott Simmons (Murrieta, Calif.) into the contest.
Ashford's R.J. Roberts ripped an RBI base hit up the middle to score another for his squad and Simmons walked in another Saint in to narrow the margin to 4-3 before getting out of the inning.
No additional runs would score for either team.
Voetching (2-0) notched the victory and senior Kevin Ponzo (San Dimas, Calif.) registered his eighth save of the year.
Portice (0-2) took the loss for AU.
Vanguard will host Golden State Athletic Conference foe Concordia on Friday at 2:00pm on the VU Baseball Field.
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