COSTA MESA, Calif. – Saint Katherine hit four home runs and held off a late Vanguard rally, as the Lions lost 10-8 in game one of a baseball doubleheader Saturday at Dean Harvey Field.
Alonzo Castellanos, the third of four Saint Katherine pitchers, picked up the win after tossing 3.2 innings of relief. He allowed five hits and four runs. Patrick Fo mopped up with 1.1 innings of scoreless relief for the save.
Brady Ware, Trevor Castillo, Emilio Escobedo and Dylan Jacob victimized Vanguard pitching for the four long balls.
Joe Johnson (SR/Medford, OR) slugged his second home run of the season for the Lions.
VU reliever Quincy Vassar (JR/Brewster, WA) allowed four runs on four hits in 3.1 innings of work as he picked up the loss. Jesus Munguia (SO/Anaheim, CA) went the first 3.1 innings, yielding six hits and four runs.
Dane Nakatsuka (JR/Laguna Niguel, CA), Isaiah Lee (SR/Santa Ana, CA) and Johnson posted two hits apiece to lead the Lion offensive attack. Johnson had three RBI, while Tommy Rodriguez (JR/Yucaipa, CA) went 1-for-4 with two RBI.
What Happened?: For the second straight game, Vanguard fell behind in an early hole. Saint Katherine put a pair of runners on in the first and Ware deposited a pitch over the right field fence for a three-run homer and a 3-0 lead.
The Lions grabbed one run back in the bottom half aided by a pair of walks to Travis Aversa (SR/Fountain Valley, CA) and Nakatsuka. After both runners moved up a base, Aversa scored on a wild pitch from Firebirds starting pitcher Seth Spencer.
Saint Katherine extended the lead to 4-1 in the second on a Baker Springstun RBI single.
Vanguard responded with three runs in the home half of the third to knot the score at 4-4. Lee and Johnson stroked RBI singles, and Rodriguez drew a bases loaded hit by pitch.
The score remained tied until the sixth when the Firebirds reclaimed the lead on a leadoff homer from Castillo.
Saint Katherine added on in the seventh with back-to-back homers. Springstun singled with one out and that brought up Escobedo as a pinch hitter. Escobedo sent a Vassar pitch over the left field fence for a two-run bomb. Jacob followed with a solo shot to increase the advantage to 8-4.
The Lions were not about to fold though, and they loaded the bases in the seventh on a single, double and walk. Oscar Diaz (SO/Los Angeles, CA) earned a bases loaded RBI on a walk. Vanguard threatened for more, but an inning-ending double play extinguished the threat.
The Firebirds extended the lead to 10-5 with two more runs in the eighth. Pinch hitter Carlos Michel had an RBI single and Springstun added his fourth hit of the game, an RBI single to right.
Facing the five-run deficit, Vanguard looked primed for a big comeback when Johnson cracked a two-run homer to right center with one out in the eighth. Lee had preceded the hit with a hit by pitch.
Aki Buckson (SR/Silverdale, WA) kept the momentum going after walking, stealing second and advancing to third on a wild pitch. Rodriguez plated Buckson on a ground out to third as the Lions pulled to within 10-8.
However, VU went down in order in the bottom of the ninth.
Why Is It Important?: After outscoring their first two opponents 37-8, the Lions have lost the last two games by a 26-11 margin.
What's Next?: Game two of the doubleheader against Saint Katherine will start around 2:30 p.m.
