LEWISTON, Idaho - The No. 15 Lions suffered two losses to Lewis-Clark State College on Friday, falling 5-10 and 4-6. Vanguard is now 18-7 overall and 8-4 in conference with two games to play against the Warriors.
Game 1: Vanguard 5, Lewis-Clark 10
Sam Neufeld (SR/Indio, CA) started the game with a single, but was stranded after three-straight outs. The Warriors posted two runs in their first at bat, highlighted by a solo home run, to take the early lead. Lewis-Clark posted a pair of runs in the bottom of the second to extend their lead to four, but VU closed in during the third. Maxx Mahon (SR/Lexington, KY) singled up to right field and moved to second on a wild pitch. Joe Johnson (SO/Medford, OR) doubled to left center to score Mahon and make the score 4-1. The Warriors responded with two runs in the bottom of the third and fifth to separate themselves from Vanguard. In the seventh, Mahon mustered up a one out single to jump start the inning. Omar Ortiz (JR/Las Vegas, NV) followed with a double and Johnson's home run placed Vanguard down 4-8. After three straight Warrior outs in the bottom of the inning, the Lions tallied one more. Isaiah Lee (FR/Santa Ana, CA) doubled to left field and scored on a Caleb Squire (SR/Arvada, CO) sacrifice fly. The Warriors collected two more runs in the eighth and shut Vanguard down in the ninth to take game one.
Game 2: Vanguard 4, Lewis-Clark 6
The Lions snagged the 1-0 lead in the third inning after Julio Rivera (SR/Puerto Rico) reached on an error and came home on Chad Sutton (SO/Scottsdale, AZ)'s double to center field. Lewis Clark retaliated with four runs in the bottom of the inning from three hits and one Lion error. Ortiz hit a home run in the sixth two cut the Warrior lead in half, but the Warriors went on to add two more from three hits to take control with a score of 6-2. Ortiz posted another RBI in the eighth to bring Neufeld home and put VU within two. In their final attempt, Johnson scored on a wild pitch, but the Lions could not overthrow the Warrior lead.
Next Game: Saturday, March 16th in a double header starting at 12 p.m. against Lewis-Clark State in Lewiston, ID.
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