COMPTON, Calif. -- With Golden State Athletic Conference play looming large, the Lions played two more non-GSAC games Wednesday against Marymount California. VU swept two close games against the Mariners at home and did so again on the road, taking game one 7-4 and game two 9-3. VU is now 21-5 overall and the Mariners are 2-13.
What Happened? G1: Brianna Williams (FR/Chandler, AZ) started game one and in three innings she gave up only two hits, as the VU righty continued her run of good form. The offense was hot right out of the gate as well, with Lailoni Mayfield (SR/Cerritos, CA) taking a walk to start the game in the top of the first. She then swiped second and after a walk put Karly Colenzo (SR/Downey, CA) on base, Bianca Morales (SO/Spring Valley, CA) singled to bring in Mayfield. Kaylie Williams (FR/Moreno Valley, CA) then boomed a home run over the left-field fence to put VU up 4-0 after one.
The Mariners broke the shutout in the bottom of the fourth, as a single, a walk, and a double brought home two runs to halve the lead. But The Lions rebounded in the top of the fifth. Colenzo singled and Morales followed that up with another knock. Kaylie Williams remained hot in the box, smacking a double off the center-field fence to score both runners. Carli Row (SO/Riverside, CA) pinch ran for the VU catcher and both Ashley Klopfenstein (JR/Indio, CA) and Marissa Gurrola (FR/Downey, CA) singled to score her and make it 7-2 VU.
Marymount tried to make a comeback in the bottom of the sixth, as the hosts got a leadoff double, with Brianna Williams hitting the next batter. A single followed to score one and another single a few batters later made it 7-4. But a fly-out ended the danger, with MCU leaving two runners on in the bottom of the sixth.
The Lions could not add any more insurance in the top of the seventh but they did not need to, as the defense turned a double-play and a fly ball was caught by shortstop Emma Noble (FR/Camarillo, CA) to record out number three.
The Lions had seven runs on 11 hits and left eight on base, while the Mariners had four runs on 10 hits with seven left on base. Brianna Williams improves to 14-1 on the year, going the distance with one walk and three strikeouts. Annalisa Panuco took the loss for MCU, allowing four runs over three innings to fall to 1-6 for the year. Kaylie Williams had three hits and five RBI in four at-bats, as Morales and Klopfenstein were next up with two hits each.
G2: Both pitchers were clean in the first inning, as LeeAnne Miranda (FR/Westminster, CA) and Liana Castro each went through the orders quickly Both sides also went down in order in the second but the Blue and Gold throttled up into second gear in the top of the third.
Noble doubled with one out and a single by Aeri Corral (FR/Corona, CA) brought Noble in to score the first run of the second match. Mayfield then drove a hard-hit single to right to cash in Corral and make it 2-0. Now with two outs, Colenzo hit a ball that the shortstop made a great dive on but she could not get up in time to throw her out. The MCU defender then made an errant throw to third while trying to gun down Mayfield, allowing her to score. Morales then tripled to center to increase the VU lead to 4-0.
Miranda was soon in a jam in the bottom half, as a walk and a single started the frame for the Mariners. A grounder allowed VU to get one out but the play advanced the runners, with a single scoring both to once again halve the lead. But whatever positives MCU took from the third were soon canceled out by another productive inning for the Lions. Gurrola singled and a double by Corral brought her around to score. Mayfield followed that up with a walk and an error pushed Corral around to score and give the Lions a 7-2 advantage.
The scoring resumed in the top of the sixth, as Mayfield launched a double to right field to start a two-out rally. Noni Chaves (SO/Ontario, CA) then whacked another double, this time to left, to score Mayfield. Colenzo then slapped a single to right to score Chaves and give the Blue and Gold a 9-2 lead.
Miranda had to labor some in the bottom of the seventh, as the Mariners rapidly got two aboard to start the inning. A single scored one to give the home side three runs but Miranda refused to give up another, getting the third out with the bases load on a fly ball to center to close out the day.
Vanguard scored nine runs on 11 hits, had one error, and left six on base. The Mariners scored three runs on seven hits, had three errors, and also stranded six aboard. Miranda improves to 4-3 with the victory, going the distance with three walks surrendered and one strikeout. Castro falls to 1-6 in the losing effort, as she was tagged for seven earned runs and gave up nine in five and two-thirds of work.
Mayfield, Colenzo, Noble, and Corral each had two hits, with no player having more than one run batted in for the second game.
Why is it Important? VU has won five straight against Marymount and sits on top of the standings in the conference based on overall record. No teams have started league play as of yet and Vanguard has played the most games by far.
What's Next? The squad will get more than a week off before Golden State Athletic Conference play will start, with the Lions making the road trip up north first. The opening GSAC foe will be William Jessup on March 11, with the doubleheader starting at 2:00 p.m.
