COSTA MESA, Calif. – For just the second time this year, 10th ranked Vanguard University (12-6, 4-2) was swept in a doubleheader. William Jessup (8-13, 2-4) took Game One 5-2 and then followed it up with a 6-1 Game Two victory to hand the Lions their first losses in conference play.
What Happened? During the first portion of the game, the teams were sizing each other up. The Blue and Gold scored first to take a narrow 1-0 lead on a Taylor Radtke (SR/Tucson, AZ) single up the middle which scored Bianca Morales (FR/Spring Valley, CA) from second base. William Jessup tied the game during their next at bat, and the 1-1 deadlock remained until through the fifth inning. On two separate occasions in the fifth inning, the Pride had the bases loaded but stranded all runners. As the errors continued to mount, the Warriors took advantage and scored a trio in the top of the sixth to, all without no outs, to take a commanding lead. Noemi Chaves (FR/Ontario, CA) pinch hit for the Pride and brought home pinch runner Kylie Chen (SO/Pittsburg, CA) to cut it to a 4-2 difference before they stranded two more runners. The bats did not stop swinging for WJU as they added another run in the seventh, which would be the final margin.
The backend of the double-header followed the same script with Vanguard scoring first and then William Jessup taking control of the game. Radtke reached on a fielder's choice which allowed Johanna Lewis (SR/Madera, CA) to cross home plate for a 1-0 lead. However, it would be short lived, as the Warriors scored three during their next trip to the plate. Later, in the top of the third, they scored another pair to lead 5-1. As WJU continued to build the lead, Vanguard struggled to get off the field defensively. Trailing 8-1 entering the bottom of the fifth, the Pride's offense breathed life for the first time. Lewis and Hannah Corrado (SO/Cypress, CA) were in scoring position with no outs recorded as the hits continued to string together. Singles by Radtke and Mackenzie Hoffman allowed VU to close it to 8-3. Deep into the sixth inning, Arianna Huffman (SR/San Diego, CA) was stranded on third base. During their last at bat, the rally attempt fell short with another two runners left on the bags.
Why It's Important? Today's contests are games 11 and 12 in their 18 game homestand, before embarking on a dozen road games to end the year. Their streak of six straight games came to a close and they are now 22-27 against William Jessup in program history. This marks the third time that WJU has swept the Lions in a double-header.
Top Performers: In Game One, Bianca Morales and Radtke both hit 2-3 while Vanessa Dwyer (SR/Temple City, CA) ends her run of seven consecutive victories. She allowed four earned runs across a 102-pitch complete game. In the second matchup, Huffman and Corrado were both 2-3 while Lewis was 2-4 with two scored runs. In the circle, Emmy Anderson (SO/Fort Collins, CO) (3-2) picked up her second loss while Samantha Vargas (FR/Grand Terrace, CA) and Mia Portillo (FR/Buena Park, CA) saw action in relief.
What They Said: Johanna Lewis – "One thing I think we did well today was rallying behind our hitters when we got on base. Tomorrow, we need to be better at stringing together those moments in each inning."
What's Next: Tomorrow, Saturday March 20th against William Jessup University at 11:00 a.m.
#ClawsUp
