COSTA MESA, Calif. - The Lions split Saturday's double header with the Oaks, ending the conference opening series with a 3-1 record. Landon Riker (JR/Marysville, WA) boosted VU to the first win with a walk-off single to take the game 7-6. Despite posting 12 combined hits in the first outing of the day, VU only collected three in the second game and fell 3-4 to the Oaks. Vanguard is now 13-2 overall and 3-1 in the GSAC.
Game 1: Lions 7, Menlo 6
After a few Oaks got on base in the top of the first, Sam Neufeld (SR/Indio, CA) kept Menlo off the board when he closed out the winning by throwing out a runner attempting to advance to third. Neufeld kept the momentum at the plate, sending a single through the middle. A blooper to right field from Caleb Squire (SR/Arvada, CO) put two on for Riker, who popped out to move the runners over. Maxx Mahon (SR/Lexington, KY) squeezed a ball between the short stop and third baseman for one RBI. Joe Johnson (SO/Medford, OR) tallied one more with a single to right field and Julio Rivera (SR/Puerto Rico) kept it going with a RBI single. Grady Conner (JR/Costa Mesa, CA) pushed the lead to four with a base hit to right and Omar Ortiz (JR/Las Vegas, NV) added the final run of the inning. After holding the Oaks off in the second, Squire sent one over the right field fence to push the lead to six.
The Oaks didn't get on board until the fifth when they strung together a few hits for a pair of runs. A two out homer added three more for Menlo and made the score 6-5 Lions. The Oaks loaded the bases in the eighth with two down and scored the tying run on a pass ball. In the bottom of the ninth, Omar Ortiz opened things up with a single. Josh Weeks (JR/Murrieta, CA) pinch ran for him and advanced to second on a pass ball. After the Oaks elected to walk Squire, Riker knocked a walk-off single to left field for a 7-6 win.
"It was a good battle," Riker said. "The pitcher was really good. I was putting some good swings on the ball all day long. I got my pitch and just did what I was supposed to do."
Daugherty got the win for his 1.1 innings with no runs, one hit allowed and two strikeouts.
Game 2: Lions 0, Menlo
The Oaks got the early edge in the second with a two run homer. But Mahon trimmed that lead in half with a solo homer in the bottom of the second. In the third, Menlo used three hits to post one and reclaim a two run difference. After keeping the Oaks off the board in the fourth, VU allowed one in fifth. Brandon Steele (JR/Kingsburg, CA) came into the inning with the bases loaded and two outs, and struck out an Oak to avert the threat.
The second Lion run of the game came on another solo home run, this time from Ortiz. In the bottom of the sixth, down 2-4, Neufeld was hit by a pitch and Squire walked. Riker grounded out to move the runners over and Mahon hit a sacrific fly to left field to put the Lions within one. Despite closing the gap, Vanguard went three up three down in the bottom of the seventh to drop the final game of the series 3-4.
"It helps us a lot," Riker added. "We lost today and we learned how to lose. It was our first conference series and I think we had a really good series. Yesterday wasn't really close, and today we had two really close games and we battled back and did a good job."
Next Game: Friday, March 1 against San Diego Christian College. The double header against the Hawks begins at 11 a.m. in Costa Mesa, CA.
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