LINCOLN, Calif. - The Vanguard University Baseball team (29-9, 16-6) split the first day of the series against William Jessup University (19-16, 10-11) as they dropped the first game by a score of 2-5 before their offense carried them to a 13-9 win in the second game. Isaiah Lee's grand slam in game two was the highlight of the day as it was his second home run of the year.
What Happened?
Game One: After three innings of scoreless baseball, Landon Riker's solo shot down the right-field line put the first run on the board for the Blue and Gold. Aki Buckson would keep things rolling as he singled and then stole second and third before Joe Johnson would bring him home with a single to right. The Warriors would cut their deficit in half in the bottom of the fifth as Joseph Luevano found a gap in left to score one. WJU loaded the bases in the sixth and a walk and a double would give the home team a 5-2 lead. Brad Jones and Marlin Brucato would keep the Lions in check the rest of the way to take game one.
Game Two: Jordan Yu would start things off for the Warriors in game two as he singled with two runners in scoring position to give the home team a 1-0 lead early on. The Lions would respond with a nine-run inning that featured an RBI single by Travis Aversa, a sac-fly by Landon Riker, an RBI single by Omar Ortiz, a walk with the bases loaded by Joe Johnson, and a grand-slam by Isaiah Lee. Two doubles and a RBI single by the Warriors in the bottom of the second would make it a 9-5 game.
In the top of the fifth, Luke Arias got on by an error to score Aversa from first and then scored later in the inning on a fielder's choice. Jacob Gribbin and Tommy Rodriguez would trade home runs, but a double by Travis Aversa would push the Lions lead to 13-7. The Warriors loaded the bases in the bottom of the seventh as a final push, but they were only able to tally two runs off of a walk and a fielder's choice as the Pride earned the victory.
Why It's Important? The margin of error in the race to the conference crown continues to be slim to none as Hope International earned a tie at the top of the conference while Westmont remains in striking distance as they are only two games back of the Blue and Gold. A very important doubleheader looms for the Lions to keep pace at the top.
Top Performers: Travis Aversa went 4-7 over the course of the doubleheader with two runs and two RBI. Isaiah Lee had a monster game two as he went 3-4 with four RBI, while Omar Oritz, Tommy Rodriguez, and Joe Johnson combined for five runs and four RBI in game two. Anthony Castillo went two and a third in game one while only allowing two hits while striking out two.
What's Next: The second half of the four-game series will start at 11:00 am for the final two games against the Warriors.
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