COSTA MESA -- Having split with Ottawa University of Arizona on Friday, the Vanguard baseball team rebounded with two solid performances Saturday. In two fairly fast games, VU won 8-1 and 8-0 to improve to 22-4 overall and 6-2 in the Golden State Athletic Conference. OUAZ falls to 7-14 overall and 3-9 in GSAC action.
What Happened? G1 Tyler Armenta (SR/Anaheim, CA) was the starter for VU in the first game of the day and he got a strikeout and two line outs to send the Spirit down in order in the top of the first. The Lions then pounced on OUAZ started Gage Johnson. Joe Johnson (SR/Medford, OR) singled back up the middle and Aki Buckson (SR/Silverdale, WA) took a walk. Dane Nakatsuka (JR/Laguna Niguel, CA) also took a base on balls to load up the bases and Isaiah Lee (SR/Santa Ana, CA) continued the trend by taking another walk, putting VU up 1-0 as Johnson trotted home. The OUAZ pitcher then threw a blazing fastball that the catcher could not handle, with Buckson sliding home safely to make it 2-0. With two outs, up to the plate came Chad Sutton (SR/Scottsdale, AZ) and the senior tattooed a ball over the fence in left to push the lead to 5-0.
Both pitchers had perfect innings in the second and OUAZ soon got something going against Armenta in the top of the third. A single and a double scored one but Armenta got two quick outs after that to keep the Spirit from scoring any more.
The Blue and Gold got back on the board in the bottom of the fourth, as Travis Aversa (SR/Fountain Valley, CA) smacked a single to get the frame going. Sutton powered a single to left and an error allowed Antonio Omphroy (JR/Honolulu, HI) to reach first, loading the bases. Luke Arias (JR/Spring Valley, CA) slapped a single through the hole on the left side to score Aversa and Matthew Land (SR/Eugene, OR) shot a single to center to score Sutton. Omphroy was trucking for home on the play but the throw from center was on the dot to gun him down. However, a 7-1 lead was more than enough for the Vanguard pitching staff in game one. Armenta gave up only two more hits over the fifth, sixth, and seventh innings to cap a very good outing for the side-winder.
Vanguard tagged on one more in the home-half of the seventh, as Buckson and Nakatsuka both singled to start a rally. Lee then found a gap with a single to center, scoring Buckson to put the hosts ahead 8-1. Quincy Vassar (JR/Brewster, WA) and Jacob Morales (JR/Arcadia, CA) did not allow another run and the Lions took the win 8-1.
VU scored eight runs on 10 hits, leaving five on base, and committing two errors. OUAZ scored one run on four hits, left three on base, and had one error. Armenta had four strikeouts in seven innings of work, allowing three hits and the one run to claim the win and improve to 4-1 on the season. Johnson falls to 1-1, surrendering seven runs on six hits in three and a third. Sutton was off to a great start for his Saturday, with two hits and three RBI. Aversa was 2-for-4 and Lee also drove in two runs.
G2: Jesus Munguia (SO/Anaheim, CA) picked up two wins last week and he looked dominant in the final game of the series. He took a no-hit bid into the sixth, when a hard shot to third snuck past Sutton to end his chance. But Dylan McDonald (JR/Pacifica, CA) refused to give up a hit in the seventh, as the two combined for a fantastic shutout on the hill.
With the Spirit left sputtering at the plate all game long, the Blue and Gold could rack up the runs at will. Nakatsuka was hit by a pitch to start the bottom of the second and he soon swiped second, with Sutton tapping a single through the right side to score him. Even though VU left the bases loaded, it would not come back to haunt the team.
Buckson singled with one out and then stole second to get in scoring position in the bottom of the third. Once more it would be Sutton who found a seam, this time to the left side, with Buckson easily scoring on the single. With Cameron Hirahara (SR/Grover Beach, CA) also knocking a single, Oscar Diaz (SO/Los Angeles, CA) followed suite to score Sutton and push the lead to 3-0.
Elijah Weeks (SR/Murrieta, CA) singled to start the fourth and Johnson followed him down to first with a walk. The pair then attempted a double-steal and the throw to second sailed into center, allowing Weeks to score. Ahead 4-0, Weeks then picked up the RBI in the home half of the fifth with a single, scoring Sutton from third, as #22 had led off the frame with a base hit of his own.
The scoring concluded in the bottom of the sixth, as Johnson reached on an error and Nakatsuka walked. That brought up Sutton once more and having gone 3-for-3, he saw a decent pitch and smoked it to left-center. TD Walker climbed the fence and for a moment, no one knew what had happened. But when he got up, the OUAZ center fielder did not have the ball, much to the delight of the Lions, who celebrated Sutton's second home run of the day and an 8-0 lead.
McDonald got three groundouts in the seventh to secure the win, as VU netted eight runs on 10 hits again, with one error and eight runners left on base. OUAZ had three errors and just the one runner left on base off the lone single. Munguia goes to 5-0 on the season, as he grabbed five Ks in the victory. Sutton capped off a fantastic day by going 4-for-4, driving in five of the eight runs the Lions scored. Weeks had two hits and Johnson, Diaz, and Nakatsuka each drove in the remaining runs.
What was said? "A very complete day of baseball overall," said Head Coach Rob Pegg. "It was an important day and I'm proud of the compete level our guys had start to finish."
What's Next? The team will travel to Santa Clarita next weekend for four games against The Master's, with each doubleheader starting at 11:00 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.
