COSTA MESA, Calif. - The Vanguard University Baseball team (23-3, 11-1) earned a four-game sweep over San Diego Christian (2-21, 0-16) as they rode a 43-15 run differential to push their winning streak to six games. In game three of the series, Omar Ortiz would make history as he broke the former school record of seven RBI in a single game; a mark that has been held since 2010 by Kip Masuda.
What Happened?
Game One: In the first inning, Landon Riker was hit by a pitch and Joe Johnson singled to right to set the table for Omar Ortiz. Ortiz would single to right-center to score both runners. Sutton would keep the inning going, ripping a single into center field for an RBI single, giving the Lions a 3-0 lead. The Pride would tack on a couple more runs in the bottom of the second as an RBI double by Buckson and a groundout by Ortiz would score two.
The Hawks threatened in the top of the third, with a single up the middle with two runners on. Riker fielded the ball in center field and threw an absolute rope to home which would get the SDCC runner at home. Unfortunately, a couple of bloop singles would score two runners for the visitors to make it a 5-2 ballgame after three and a half innings.
The Hawks would put one more on the board in the top of the fourth as Billy Strohm hit a bloop single to center field with two on and two out, but the Lions would immediately respond as Aki Buckson hit a home run to left, his second of the series and the seventh of the year, immediately followed by a solo shot by Joe Johnson, his third of the year.
Vanguard continued to push ahead in the bottom of the fifth as Landon Riker scored Joshua Weeks from second with a double down the right-field line in the bottom of the fifth. Ortiz would record his fourth and fifth RBI of the day later in the inning with a double down the left-field line to give the Lions a 10-3 lead.
A walk and a single in the bottom of the seventh would set the table for Ortiz who cleared the bases with a deep shot to left. The home run would be his second of the series and would be his eighth RBI of the day. In doing so he would break the former school record of seven that has been held since 2010 by Kip Masuda.
Game Two: The Hawks struck first in game two as Aaron Hoch singled up the middle to lead off the second inning. A sacrifice bunt and two wild pitches would lead to the sophomore infielder touching all four bases to go up 1-0. The Pride would regain the lead in the bottom of the frame as multiple singles and throwing errors would bring two runners home. Tommy Rodriguez would step to the plate and slap an RBI single, Kevin Miser slapped an RBI double down the left-field line, and Landon Riker doubled to bring home Elijah Weeks from second. When the dust had settled, the Lions had gone from one run down to 6-1 up. Another throwing error with runners on the corners would score Ortiz from third in the bottom of the third. Isaiah Lee would slap a single down the right-field line to score Conner from third and would later score himself thanks to a sacrifice fly from Chad Sutton, pushing the lead to 9-1. Sutton would record his second RBI of the day in the bottom of the fifth with an RBI single into right field that would score Lee from third. The Lions put one more run on the board in the bottom of the sixth as they loaded the bases and advanced as Sutton was hit by a pitch. Why It's Important? The Lions have lost just one game since Friday, February 20th, as they have gotten off to one of the best starts in the history of the program. The only season that would be even close during Head Coach Rob Pegg's tenure would be the 2016 campaign where they got off to a 23-7-1 start.
Top Performers: Joe Johnson went 4-4 with two RBI in game one while Grady Conner went 2-3 in the second game. Omar Ortiz continued his red-hot streak as he went 5-7 with 8 RBI on the day. Brian Park earned his fifth win as he only allowed two hits in four innings of work, while Justin Graves moved to 4-0 as he went five innings and struck out four.
What They Said: Ortiz spoke on the record-breaking effort, stating "it feels great, it all started with the guys in front of me they fully committed to the plan and were confident in themselves. I was lucky enough to have the opportunity so I just couldn't have done it without the guys."
What's Next: A highly anticipated four-game series against 12th-ranked Westmont College with the first game coming on Friday, March 19th at 11:00 a.m.
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