SANTA CLARITA, Calif. -- Vanguard baseball started a four-game Golden State Athletic Conference series with The Master's on Friday and the first day was certainly wild. VU trailed, led, trailed, and then came back to win game one 10-9 in 10 innings. The squad then led, trailed, and won on Saturday morning 3-2. The Lions go to 24-4 overall and 8-2 in GSAC play with the victories, with TMU dropping to 16-11 overall and 6-8 in GSAC play.
What Happened? G1: Both starters were in a groove early on in the game, as TMU's Nelson Schutte and VU's Lucas Bixby (JR/DeWitt, IA) kept zeros in the run department through two innings. The Mustangs then scratched one off of Bixby in the bottom of the third, as a walk and a pair of singles put the home side on the board. But the Lions helped out their starter in the fifth inning, as VU took a lead for the first time. Kevin Miser (SR/Ridgefield, WA) took a walk and Matthew Land (SR/Eugene, OR) bunted him over to second. A single by Joe Johnson (SR/Medford, OR) put runners at the corners with two outs and Aki Buckson (SR/Silverdale, WA) smacked a single to left to drive in Miser. Dane Nakatsuka (JR/Laguna Niguel, CA) was beaned after that and Chad Sutton (SR/Scottsdale, AZ) pounded a ball to the left side that the third baseman could not handle, bringing Johnson in.
Ahead by one, Bixby settled in and continued to deal, delivering no-hit baseball in the bottom of the fifth and sixth. On the flip side, the VU bats racked up the hits. In the top of the sixth, Isaiah Lee (SR/Santa Ana, CA) took a pitch off his body to start things off, with a sac-bunt pushing Lee to second after that. Miser then mustered a single to center to bring Lee in to score. Johnson delivered another single and as Miser slid into third safely, Johnson was able to run over to second. Buckson proved to be clutch again, as he poked a single through the right side to score both Miser and Johnson, giving Vanguard a 5-1 lead.
The Blue and Gold continued the attack in the top of the seventh, as Oscar Diaz (SO/Los Angeles, CA) led off with a walk. Elijah Weeks (SR/Murrieta, CA) pinch ran for him and Lee was smacked again by a pitch to put two on. Miser then dropped down a single to score Weeks from second and Land slammed a double off the right-field fence to bring in Lee, giving VU a 7-1 lead.
After the seventh-inning stretch, Quincy Vassar (JR/Brewster, WA) came in to replace Bixby, and he got two quick outs. However, VU took a long time to record the third out. Vassar gave up a double and a single before being replaced by Jared Greer (SR/Anaheim, CA). TMU continued the charge though, as another double and a single brought in four more. Jackson Webber (SR/Bothell, WA) was then asked to close the door and after another two-RBI single, the VU pitcher got a ground out to short to stop the bleeding. But the damage was done, as the Mustangs claimed an 8-7 lead with seven runs scored in the inning.
With not a ton of time left, the Lions worked on leveling the score again and Nakatsuka started the comeback with a walk. A single from Sutton put Nakatsuka on third and he would score on a double-play to tie the game at 8-8. Once again, The Master's struck back, as two walks and a single allowed the home side to lead once more at 9-8. The Lions had one more chance to come back and the attempt seemed in dire straights after a ground out and a strikeout to start the top of the ninth. With two gone, Land walked to the plate and was unfazed by the pressure, as the senior belted a home run to tie the game at 9-9.
The Lions would not score again in the ninth nor would the Mustangs, sending the game to the 10th. Jumping on an early pitch, Sutton tapped a single to center and Tommy Rodriguez (JR/Yucaipa, CA) ran for him, stealing second soon thereafter. A few pitches later and Lee singled up the middle to score Rodriguez, putting VU ahead 10-9.
Caden Byers (FR/Murrieta, CA) had pitched perfectly in the bottom of the ninth but his chance for the win was soon up in the air, as TMU got a leadoff triple in the bottom of the 10th. However, Byers stayed the course, getting a couple of groundouts to strand that runner at third and give VU a thrilling 10-9 victory.
Vanguard scored 10 runs on 15 hits with 14 runners left on base. TMU scored nine runs on 12 hits, had two errors, and had 11 runners left on base. Byers snagged his first win of the year, going two innings and striking out two. Bixby went six, getting six Ks and giving up one run on four hits. The Lions had three hits from both Johnson and Nakatsuka, with Buckson leading the team with three RBI. Land and Miser each chipped in two RBI as well.
G2: With a four-plus hour game one, game two would pit not only the two teams against each other but game against the sun and the impending darkness. With the squads ready again, Zachary Filos took to the mound for TMU. While he did give up a hit in the top of the first, he kept the Lions from taking an early lead. Justin Graves (JR/Irvine, CA) was on the bump for the Lions and he too had a clean first inning, putting the Mustangs down rapidly.
However, the Lions got to Filos in the second, as Sutton led off with a single. He advanced on a sac-bunt from Lee and a deep double from Travis Aversa (SR/Fountain Valley, CA) drove in Sutton to give VU the 1-0 lead. Graves got through the second inning but got into a pickle in the third, as an error put the leadoff man aboard. A single followed to put two on with no outs. Both runners were sent to steal and the throw to third was dropped, allowing one run to score and the trailing Mustang to reach third. A grounder to second scored the runner at third, as TMU went into the fourth with a 2-1 edge.
Both sides went down quietly in the fourth and fifth as the game and the sun moved along swiftly. VU had a chance in the top of the sixth, as Buckson singled and Sutton took a walk. But with two outs, Lee hit a grounder that forced out Sutton going to second, canceling out the chance to score. With Graves setting down the Mustangs in the bottom of the sixth, the Lions entered the seventh needing a run to tie and two to slip by TMU again.
Rodriguez pinch-hit for Miser and he rolled a single through the left side. Aversa followed him by putting a single into right field, with Rodriguez sprinting all the way to third. Luke Arias (JR/Spring Valley, CA) hit into a double-play but Rodriguez was able to get home safely to tie the game at 2-2.
A single started the home half of the seventh and another knock put two on base. A sac-bunt then put the runners to second and third, giving TMU a chance to walk off with the victory. Graves responded by fanning the next batter to get a huge second out and rung up the following hitter as well to push game two into extra innings.
Picking up the contest on Saturday morning, Vanguard did not waste any time getting the winning run on base. Johnson singled to right and then scooted to second on a wild pitch. A deep fly out from Buckson allowed Johnson to advance to third, which brought up Nakatsuka. He lasered a single to left to easily score Johnson, sending the Lions ahead 3-2.
VU did not score again in the inning and Dylan McDonald (JR/Pacifica, CA) came in for Graves to close out the victory for VU. He got the first batter to strike out but the next batter smacked a single to give some life back to the Mustangs. McDonald would have none of it though, as he struck out the next batter and got the final out on a fly ball to center, granting the Lions the 3-2 victory.
Vanguard had three runs on 10 hits, four errors, and six runners left on base. TMU had two runs on six hits, one error, and the Mustangs also left six runners aboard. Graves went seven innings, allowing two runs, both unearned, and striking out eight, improving to 5-1 on the season. McDonald picks up his first save of the season. Filos takes the loss, as he went all eight with one strikeout, falling to 4-3 on the year.
Buckson, Nakatsuka, and Aversa each had two hits to lead the lineup, with Nakatsuka and Aversa getting the only two RBI.
