SANTA CLARITA, Calif. — After falling to the Mustangs in yesterday's series opener, Vanguard University looked to bounce back and make an impression on their final road game of the season before returning home. Despite the efforts in the day's opener, the Pride fell to TMU with a score of 7-2. Regardless, the Pride remained determined and persevered through the series finale. Vanguard took hold of the lead first, and tied up the contest when TMU fought back, forcing the game into extras. Sam Neufeld (JR/Indio, CA) took matters into his own hands with his first hit of the game — a game winning grand slam. Neufeld said he knew what to expect, and told himself to be patient and wait for the right pitch to come. "He gave me a first pitch curveball for a ball and I knew he was going to come at me with a fastball next pitch. Sure enough, he did and I jumped on it."
Game 1: The Master's 7, Vanguard 2
The Mustangs outhit Vanguard by one, and had four errors work in their favor to claim their second win of the series. Sam Neufeld led the Pride with a 2-for-4 game at the plate, while the remaining three hits came from Joe Johnson (FR/Medford, OR), Julio Rivera (JR/Puerto Rico) and Chad Sutton (FR/Scottsdale, AZ). Michael Kashou (SO/Anaheim, CA) started out on the mound for Vanguard and lasted 4.2 innings. During his appearance, he gave up four hits and one earned run, and threw two strikeouts on 21 batters faced. Ryan Daugherty (JR/Laguna Niguel, CA) appeared in the fifth inning and threw three strikeouts during his two-inning performance. Jakob Farmer (FR/Norwalk, CA) made a brief appearance and threw one strikeout, and Tanner Bellamy (JR/Las Vegas, NV) closed the game on the mound for the Pride. Bellamy faced three batters and threw one strikeout.
Johnson scored the first run of the day for the Lions in the second inning of a Sutton single. Johnson set the tone of the inning and singles to right, and Neufeld knocked a single of his own to center. Center field saw action immediately after as Sutton singled. Vanguard held off the Mustangs until TMU broke through the line of defense with the a lead capturing five runs. The Blue and Gold chipped away in the seventh and produced one run on two hits, scored by Rivera. Rivera lead off with a single, and Nefueld did the same. Sutton grounded into a double play, scoring Rivera in the process. The Mustangs pulled out two insurance runs from the bottom of the frame, and worked the hefty lead in their favor. Vanguard struggled to bounce back in the final two innings, falling with a score of 7-2.
Game 2: Vanguard 8, The Master's 4
The Mustangs put one run on the board in the third inning, but Vanguard retaliated with three of their own in the top of the fourth. Sutton logged the first hit of the inning with a double to right field. Chris Rodriguez (JR/Tustin, CA) followed up with a single, causing Cameron Hirahara (FR/Grover Beach, CA) to score in place of Sutton. Lucas Martinez (SR/Fairfax, VA) moved Rodriguez to third with a single to center, and the bases became loaded as Tanner Perry (SR/El Cajon, CA) walked. Shane Elias-Calles (SR/Mission Viejo, CA) added some fuel to the fire with a 2 RBI single to right field. Despite the deficit, the Pride's fighting spirit stayed alive. Johnson lead off the fifth inning with a rocket over the fence for the first home run of the day. The solo shot slowly started turning the tide back in favor of the Lions. TMU responded with the game-tying run in the bottom of the frame, launching the score into a standstill for the next two innings and forcing extras innings. Perry singled to right field to lead off the ninth, and Michael Fuchs (SR/Irvine, CA) followed suit with the same hit. Johnson drew an intentional walk and loaded up the bases before Neufeld was due up to bat. Unfortunately for TMU, Neufeld launched a game sealing grand slam to lead 8-4 by the end of the frame. Vanguard, ready to put the game away, did exactly that in the bottom of the frame. Alex Camacho (JR/Stockton, CA) threw his second and final strikeout to end the game.
Camacho made his appearance on the mound in the sixth inning and threw two strikeouts. Prior to Camacho's appearance, Schuyler Hill (JR/Long Beach, CA) put in five innings of work and gave up four hits and two earned runs. Hill walked four batters and struck out eight on 24 batters faced. Vanguard put 12 hits in the books in game two. Perry, Fuchs, Johnson and Rodriguez logged two hits a piece while the remaining four this came from Elias-Calles, Neufeld, Sutton and Martinez.
Next Game: Tuesday, April 17th against Bethesda University of Southern California at 2:30 p.m.
-GOLD PRIDE-
