POINT LOMA, Calif. - The Vanguard University Baseball team (17-3) would go head-to-head with division two opponent and former conference foe, Point Loma Nazarene University (1-1). These two teams played two tightly-contested games as the Lions took game one 4-2 while the Sea Lions would earn a walk-off victory in the second game for a 2-1 victory.
What Happened?
Game One: The Sea Lions would strike first in the bottom of the third as Jack Malone doubled in a run with two outs, but the Lions would immediately counter as Omar Ortiz hit a two-run shot to left field; his third home run in four games. PLNU would tie things up at two in the bottom of the frame as Izayah Alvarez was able to lay down a perfect bunt to score a runner from third.
The Pride would extend their lead in the top of the fifth as Landon Riker reached on a fielding error to score Travis Aversa from second. In the top of the sixth, Joe Johnson would be hit by a pitch and Chad Sutton would walk to put runners on first and second for Aversa, who would proceed to rip a single into left field to give the Lions a 4-2 lead. Tyler Armenta and Anthony Castillo would both get in three innings of work and Matt Lester would close things out with 2.2 innings of shutout baseball to secure the win in game one.
Game Two: Nathan Garkow and Michael Kashou engaged in a pitcher's duel in game two as Garkow went seven innings deep while only giving up one hit, one run, and striking out eight. Chad Sutton would be responsible for the only hit and run in the same at-bat as his third home run of the year came in the top of the sixth. Over six innings, Kashou would scatter four hits over seven innings while striking out five. The Sea Lions finally broke through in the bottom of the seventh as two singles, a fielder's choice and a walk moved the tying run to third and the winning run to second. With a 3-2 count and two outs, Brett O'Toole hit a single just past the diving glove of Aversa for a walk-off victory.
Why It's Important? The Lions' all-time record against the Sea Lions moved to 41-55 all-time. The last time these two teams faced off was on March 24, 2012, where the Lions earned a 3-2 victory.
Top Performers: Aki Buckson went 2-4 with a double and a run in the first game, while Omar Ortiz went 1-4 with a home run and two RBI. In the second game, Chad Sutton had the lone hit and run with a solo shot in the top of the sixth. Michael Kashou was fantastic once again in a heart-breaking loss as he went six and two-thirds while only allowing seven hits and two earned runs while striking out six.
What's Next: Saturday, March 6th for game three and four of the four-game series against PLNU starting at 11:00 a.m.
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