MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The Montgomery Bracket continued to prove why it was the most stacked of all nine across the country. The top seeded Lions (40-15) had their backs against the wall against the undefeated and host Faulkner Eagles (37-10) – the second seed. It took extra innings, but Vanguard won 6-5 on a walk off in the 10th.
What Happened? It all got going in the second inning, when Matt Land drew a walk with two outs. Luke Arias (SO/Spring Valley, CA) stepped into the box and blasted a homer to the left field fence. (This situation would reveal itself again). Thing remained unchanged until Faulkner tied it at 2-2 in the top of the sixth. Going back to the well, Land drew a walk and was promptly brough home by a moon shot from Arias. The Eagles closed it to a 4-3 score but not before Aki Buckson (JR/Silverdale, WA) absolutely crushed a home run to give the Pride a two-run lead. They would need each of them as Faulkner scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth with two outs. Head coach Rob Pegg was pushing all the right buttons with pitching changes and it was working according to plan. Down to the final pitcher, Jackson Webber (JR/Bothell, WA) struck out the side to put the pressure on the offense. Travis Aversa (JR/Fountain Valley, CA) led off with a double down the left field line. Landon Riker (SR/Marysville, WA) laid down a beautiful bunt to move the runner over, but Aversa was able to run home off a throwing error.
Why It's Important? The Lions were in a must win situation. Entering the second game of the day, the Pride held a 1-4 overall record, but now both wins have come in walk off fashion. Five years ago it was a bunt to plate the runner at third and this time around it was a throwing error. Vanguard scored five of their six runs today with two outs punched in the inning and the same number were scored off homers. Vanguard has tied the best record in program history, matching the 40 wins put up by the 2016 Lions who ended the year 40-17-1.
Top Performers: In this game it all starts and ends with the pitching staff. Anthony Castillo (JR/Yorba Linda, CA) started the ballgame and tossed a career high 82 pitches as they continued to chew up innings. Tyler Armenta (JR/Anaheim, CA) once again got the better of Faulkner with his unique pitching. Matt Lester (SR/Salem, OR), Jakob Farmer (SR/Norwalk, CA), and Jared Greer (JR/Anaheim, CA) each own their matchups and set the team up for a win. Offensively, Arias was 2-4 with four RBI and the only other hits from the team came from Aversa and Buckson.
What They Said: Jackson Webber – "In the tenth inning, I just wanted to get in and throw some strikes, fill up the zone, and give our infielders a chance to make plays. My goal was to get our guys back in the dugout as our hitters have been hitting all day. It was a full team effort, full staff, full team. I love where were at heading into tomorrow."
What's Next: Tomorrow, Thursday, May 20th at 12:00 p.m. against Faulkner for a trip to the NAIA Avista World Series
#ClawsUp
