LINCOLN, Calif. - The Vanguard University Baseball team (30-10, 17-7) exploded offensively for a record-breaking performance in game one of the doubleheader against William Jessup University (20-17, 11-12), taking the first game by a score of 18-11 before falling victim to a wild comeback in the second game, falling by a score of 6-7.
What Happened?
Game One: Landon Riker would start things off for the Blue and Gold as he doubled to left field and was advanced to third by a single by Aki Buckson. Joe Johnson would clear the bases with his sixth home run of the year to give the Lions an early 3-0 advantage. The Pride would keep things rolling in the second inning as they loaded the bases before Buckson would score Elijah Weeks from third on a fielder's choice. Johnson would stay hot with a double to right-center to bring in two more runners to push the lead to six.
Luke Arias would smack his third homer of the year in the top of the third, a two-run shot to left-center, and was immediately followed by a double to left-center by Travis Aversa and the second home run of the series by Riker to push the lead to double digits. Buckson would join in on the fun as he sent a tape-measure shot to left field to record the third home run of the inning in four batters. The Warriors would respond in the fourth inning as they loaded the bases and put five on the board as they drew a walk and scored on two RBI doubles.
In the top of the fifth, Tommy Rodriguez singled through the left side and then stole second to set up Luke Arias who cashed in with a single to right to make it a 12-5 game. Matt Land would continue this ridiculous offensive output as his two-run home run to right-center would set the all-time record for home runs in a single game by a team to make it a 14-5 ballgame. The Warriors would put another run on the board with an RBI single to right center, but the Pride would immediately respond in the top of the eighth as they got two runners in scoring position. A single by Chad Sutton and a fielder's choice by Grady Conner would make it 16-6 after seven and a half innings.
In the bottom of the eighth, the Warriors would pick up another run courtesy of a Jaisten Cabatbat single through the right side, but once again the Lions would respond as Travis Aversa picked up his third hit of the day, a single to the left side of the infield, and would take home on Andrew Schmitt's double down the left-field line; Schmitt would later score from second on an error by the shortstop. The Warriors loaded the bases in the bottom of the ninth and a passed ball, a double, and a single would cut the deficit to seven, but that is all they could manage as the Lions earned an 18-11 win.
Game Two: The Lions' bats weren't fazed by the 30-minute interval as Aversa singled to lead off the top of the first. Johnson's double to left-center would score Aversa and Lee would continue to pay things forward with an RBI single to center field to give the Pride an early 2-0 lead. The Warriors would respond in the bottom of the frame, as they put runners on the corners and scored once on an error.
Matt Land would hit his second home run of the day and his fourth of the year in the top of the fourth to extend the Lions' lead to two. Not to be outdone, Riker would hit his second home run of the day and his fourth of the year to push the score to 4-1 in favor of the Blue and Gold. Johnson would get in on the act with HIS second home run of the day in the top of the sixth to give the Pride a four-run lead. The final run of the day for the Pride came on a wild pitch in the top of the seventh to give them a five-run cushion.
The Warriors loaded the bases once again in the bottom of the seventh and made a miraculous comeback with their backs' against the wall to tie the game up at six. The bottom of the eighth would seal the deal as the home team loaded the bases for the third time today and completed the comeback on a single to right-center.
Why It's Important? When the dust had settled, the Lions finished the day with a total of 24 runs, 36 hits, and eight home runs. They broke multiple records in game one of the doubleheader including the fourth-most runs scored in a game (18), recording the most hits in a single game (25), and tying for the most RBI (18) in a single game.
Top Performers: Joe Johnson went 5-10 with seven total RBI, his five RBI in game one tied for third-most of all-time. Landon Riker went 5-9, with five runs and three RBI in day two. In game one, Luke Arias went 4-5 with three RBI while Justin Graves went six innings deep, only allowing four hits while striking out ten. Matt Land went 3-4 with an RBI in the second game to round things out.
What's Next: A four-game series against San Diego Christian will kick off on Friday, April 16th at 11:00 a.m.
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