COSTA MESA, Calif. - All eyes were set on Dean Harvey Field for the conclusion of the weekend series between (RV) Westmont College (27-18,20-12) and #9 Vanguard University. The Lions (35-13, 22-10) entered the game needing to win both games to secure the GSAC crown. After losing a nail bitter 6-4 in the opener, the team salvaged the weekend by winning the one game they absolutely need. It occurred in dominating fashion to the tune of 11-1.
What Happened? The energetic visiting dugout erupted during the top of the second, as a deep fly ball to right field bounced off the top of the fence and fell over for a two-run homerun. Vanguard showed its first signs of life offensively in the bottom of the third as Elijah Weeks (JR/Murrieta, CA) scored on a Matthew Land (JR/Eugene, OR) single to right center field. With two runners on, two outs, and a full count Justin Graves (SO/Irvine, CA) struck out the batter to get out of the jam and keep it a 2-1 score. Although VU put runners on first and second with no outs, they stranded both to still trail by a run. Nothing had changed as the bottom of the sixth inning rolled around. It changed with one swing of the bat, as Aki Buckson (JR/Silverdale, WA) smashed a home run into the left field netting, close to 30 feet over the fence. Just after getting the score even, the Warriors took advantage of two errors by the Lions and took a 6-2 lead. Jared Greer (JR/Anaheim, CA) got the team out of a jam in the top of the eighth inning, and then Omar Ortiz (SR/Las Vegas, NV) blasted a two-run shot into left field to close it to a two-run deficit. They would eventually strand their seventh and eighth runners left on the base paths. It all came down to the bottom of the ninth inning, with the top of the order up to bat. There was no magic for the Pride as they went three up, three down to end the game.
Unlike the previous game, the Blue and Gold struck first as Landon Riker (SR/Marysville, WA) crossed the plate on a wild pitch. It didn't last long, as the Warriors tied the contest during their next trip to the plate. The seesaw affair continued, as the Lions answered back on a two-run blast from Ortiz which gave them a 3-1 edge. The two-out rally continued as Riker reached third base after a single, a stolen base, and a wild pitch but he would go no further. Staying with the theme of two-run homers, Grady Conner (SR/Costa Mesa, CA) goes yard to right field scoring Weeks along the way. The 5-1 lead was the largest of the weekend for the Lions to that point. As if the team was able to focus all of their frustration from the previous three games into a single inning, the Pride tossed up five runs in the bottom of the fifth for a commanding lead. First, a pair of errors on one play allowed Joe Johnson (JR/Medford, OR) to score and then was follow by a groundout which scored Aaron Zubiate (SO/Alta Loma, CA). Bryan Reyes (JR/San Diego, CA) recorded an RBI walk for the fourth run, and the fifth was on a single by Andrew Schmitt (SR/Cypress, CA). During their final trip to the plate, the team added one more run on for good measure on an RBI single from Conner.
Why It's Important? The day opened with the Lions needing to win both games to clinch the GSAC West Division Championship or settling for one victory which would eliminate Westmont from contention and leaving it to the Hope International/William Jessup series on Monday to decide the champion. Now all of Vanguard is cheering on WJU, as just one victory from them will give the Pride the crown. Vanguard has the second best record at this juncture in program history, trailing only the 2016 team who ended the regular season with a 37-13-1 record.
Top Performers: Game One starter Justin Graves tossed six innings, allowing only three earned runs and striking out eight batters. In the box, Buckson was king going 3-5 with two scored runs and an RBI. Land was 2-3 with an RBI as the only other Vanguard hitter to record multiple hits in the game. Chad Sutton (JR/Scottsdale, AZ) came out of the dugout with a key hit which led to two RBI and a run scored. Garrett Molnar (SR/La Habra, CA) picked up his first win of the season for allowing only one run in five innings and striking out seven. Matthew Lester finished the final two innings for the Lions adding two strikeouts. Offensively, Conner was the top dog going 2-3 with three RBI and two runs scored. Riker was 3-4 with three scored runs whole Ortiz and Schmitt each tallied a pair of RBI.
What They Said: Grady Conner - "Every game on this field, over the last five years, has meant a lot, can't really take anything for granted. I'm glad I was able to do it with my brothers, and we were able to go out in a high note." Garrett Molnar – "It's been a long journey. Twenty years of playing baseball, so it's kind of emotional being out there and then, because I'm a bullpen guy, so to start the first game of the season and to start the last game was a pretty cool moment. And all I could think about was, "I can't mess this one up." So it was just going through my head the whole time, but it was a really good experience."
What's Next: The Pride is in wait and see mode, to see how the HIU vs. WJU series finishes and then what it means for the NAIA National Championships
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