SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - The fourth-ranked Vanguard University Baseball team (25-5,13-3) rode their high-powered offense to two wins over (13) Westmont College (16-13, 9-7). As a result of splitting the series, the Pride was able to stay two games ahead of Hope International (their next opponent) while moving four games ahead of the Warriors in the intensely competitive GSAC West.
What Happened?
Game One: The Warriors would get on the board first in the bottom of the second inning as Ryan Desaegher tripled down the left-field line and scored on a passed ball. One inning later, Westmont would score on a sacrifice fly as Thomas Rudinsky hit a deep ball to left with runners on the corners to push their lead to 2-0.
Omar Ortiz continued his unreal stretch of play as he hit his third home run in two days with a runner on first to tie the game at two in the top of the fourth. In the top of the fifth, Luke Arias drew a leadoff walk and was replaced by the speedster Joshua Weeks. Landon Riker would bring Weeks home with a double into left and one batter later, Aki Buckson would score Riker with a double of his own. The Warriors would get one back in the bottom of the frame, scoring on a wild pitch, but the Lions would take a 4-3 lead after five innings.
In the top of the sixth Travis Aversa singled and Luke Arias got on by an error, setting the table for Riker who cleared the bases with a homer to push the lead to four, but Westmont would immediately counter with a two-run double by Robbie Haw to stay within striking distance. The Lions would tack one more run on in the top of the eighth thanks to Matt Land's second home run of the series as they earned an 8-5 victory in game one.
Game Two: Game two was an offensive showcase that featured a total of 21 runs and 20 hits. Simon Reid would get the scoring started in the bottom of the first as he hit a two-run shot with one out. A solo shot, a sac bunt, and an RBI single would give Westmont a 5-0 early advantage. The Lions hung tough and flipped the script in the top of the third as Riker hit his second home run of the day with a runner aboard. With the bases loaded, two walks would score two before Chad Sutton would slap a double to left-center to score two more as the Lions went from 0-5 down to 6-5 up.
Both teams settled down until the things exploded once again in the sixth as Buckson homered with two on and no outs for his second hit of the game. The Lions loaded the bases and scored another as Sutton was hit by a pitch as they went up 10-5. That margin didn't last for long, however, as the Warriors put four on the board as well with back-to-back home runs. A fielder's choice by Joe Johnson with the bases loaded and a wild pitch would give the Lions two insurance runs in the top of the seventh. Westmont threatened in the final half-inning as they put two runners on with one out, scoring one with an RBI single, but Jared Greer earned the save as he forced two fly-outs to end the game.
Why It's Important? After working through some adversity, dropping game one and two of the series, the Lions showed their heart as they split the series with the Warriors after sweeping through the games on Saturday. In doing so, the Pride was able to stay two games ahead of Hope International (their next opponent) while moving four games ahead of the Warriors in the conference standings.
Top Performers: Riker went 4-9 with two homers and six RBI, while Ortiz went 3-7 with a double and a home run, his ninth of the year. Buckson went 2-5 in game two with a home run and three RBI. Justin Graves earned his fifth win of the year as he only allowed seven hits while striking out four in game one.
What's Next: Thursday, March 25th at 11:00 a.m. for a doubleheader against (23) Hope International University.
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