COSTA MESA, Calif. – Vanguard got the job done at the VU Baseball Field on Saturday as it swept Biola in the final home doubleheader of the season by scores of 4-3 and 4-2. Junior Richard Perry (Fontana, Calif.) (2-3) and senior Scott Simmons (Murrieta, Calif.) (7-6) earned the wins on the mound for the Pride, which sits at 21-25 overall and 14-19 in Golden State Athletic Conference play.

The two squads threw down in a 12-inning opener which saw VU go up by a pair in the fourth inning after a two-run homerun from sophomore Taylor McKnight (Mission Viejo, Calif.).

Biola cut the margin of deficit in half during the sixth frame and tied the game at 2-all in the seventh.

Both teams tacked on a run in the eighth to keep the competition deadlocked where it stayed until the bottom of the 12th when senior Ellis Whitman (Seattle, Wash.) led off with a single to left center and scored on an Eagles' fielding error after McKnight reached on a fielder's choice.

Fourth-year Travis Tomsen (Riverside, Calif.) started the opener and went eight innings, allowing two runs off of six hits while striking out four.

Whitman and junior Thomas Mobley (Anaheim, Calif.) led the Blue and Gold's offensive attack, recording two hits apiece in the win.

Biola out-hit VU 11-7 in the losing effort and left 15 runners stranded on base, compared to the Lions' four.

Seven total errors (VU 4; BU 3) were committed in the extra-inning game.

Simmons and the Pride had an easier time with the Eagles in the nightcap, despite trailing 1-0 after the first half inning of play.

In the bottom of the frame, however, VU managed two runs of its own via a walk, a catcher's interference, a Bryce Arroyo (Brea, Calif.) RBI single and a Whitman sacrifice fly.

The second inning saw Vanguard bolster its lead with back-to-back-to-back hits from junior Francisco Torres (Cathedral City, Calif.), senior Matt Avery (Los Alamitos, Calif.) and junior John Collins (Fallbrook, Calif.).

With a 4-1 lead after two, VU coasted, with the exception of a minor snag which gave BU its final run in the fourth.

Arroyo went two-for-three with an RBI in the victory.

Simmons tossed a complete game and allowed just five knocks, while walking and striking out one.

Vanguard has won five consecutive contests.

Prior to the contest, 13 VU seniors were honored for their career contributions to the Lions' baseball program.

No. 13 Concordia is next on the schedule for the Lions. Vanguard will travel across town to take on the Eagles on April 26th and 27th.

-GOLDPRIDE-