COSTA MESA, Calif. - The Lions started their series against San Diego Christian College with two straight wins on Friday. Vanguard took the first game 9-1 and concluded the day with a 6-3 win to improve to 15-2 on the year and 5-1 in conference play. VU currently sits at the top of the GSAC standings, followed by Westmont and Hope International who are both 4-2.
Game 1: Vanguard 9, SDCC 1
Grady Conner (JR/Costa Mesa, CA) of the Lions on the board with a solo home run in the bottom of the third Julio Rivera (SR/Puerto Rico) extended the lead with a sacrifice fly in the fourth to score Maxx Mahon (SR/Lexington, KY). Chad Sutton (SO/Scottsdale, AZ) had the next RBI, when his fly ball to center brought Joe Johnson (SO/Medford, OR) around. The game remained at 3-0, until the bottom of the sixth when VU posted a duo of runs. Mahon opened with a walk, moved to second on a wild pitch, and advanced to third on Rivera's single up the middle. Sutton struck next with a two RBI double to left for the 5-0 lead. In the seventh, Sam Neufeld (SR/Indio, CA) nabbed a single and Caleb Squire (SR/Arvada, CO) walked. Landon Riker (JR/Marysville, WA) followed with a shot over the left field fence for three Lion runs. Diego Altamirano (FR/Bothell, WA) brought in the final run for the Blue and Gold with a RBI fly to bring home Conner. The Lions allowed a run on the top of the ninth, but Brandon Steele (JR/Kingsburg, CA) closed the game out for a 9-1 win. Schuyler Hill (SR/Long Beach, CA) improved to 4-0 after throwing six innings, allowing just two hits with five strikeouts.
Game 2: Vanguard 6, SDCC 3
After two and a half scoreless innings, Neufeld singled through the left side, stole second to build momentum for VU, and eventually scored on a Hawk error. SDCC tied the game during their next opportunity with one run off one hit and one Lion error to set the game at 1-1. In the bottom of four, Rivera and Sutton strung together two singles. Ryan Aguirre (JR/Anaheim, CA) singledto right field to give the Lions the 2-1 lead. Vanguard opened things up in the fifth with five runs. Landon Riker doubled and with two down, Isaiah Lee (FR/Santa Ana, CA) hit a RBI single. Vanguard tallied two more in the fith for jump ahead 5-1. The Lions added one more run on a homer from Neufeld, and despite allowing two runs, claimed the 6-3 win. Ryan Daugherty (SR/Laguna Niguel, CA), now 3-0, was awarded the win after 3.1 innings, five strikeouts and two runs allowed.
Next Game: Sunday, March 3 at 11 a.m. in a double header against the Hawks beginning at 11 a.m.
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