SURPRISE, Ariz. – Vanguard split a softball doubleheader against Arizona Christian on Saturday, winning the first game 6-2 and dropping the second 5-4. The Lions finished 3-1 on the Arizona leg of the Golden State Athletic Conference schedule and moved to 10-6 in league play.
Vanguard is 31-11 overall. The loss in game two snapped a five-game winning streak. The Firestorm are 23-14 overall and 9-7 in conference action.
What Happened? Game 1: Brianna Williams (FR/Chandler, AZ) won her nation's leading 21st game of the season, improving to 21-3 in the circle. She logged 5.0 innings, scattering four hits and one run while walking one and fanning three.
Williams put up zeroes on the Firestorm through the first four innings. She had 1-2-3 innings in the second and fourth, got around a leadoff single in the first, and escaped a two-out double in the third.
With Williams holding down the fort, the Lions broke through for four runs in the top of the fourth. Noni Chaves (SO/Ontario, CA) and Kaylie Williams (FR/Moreno Valley, CA) had back-to-back singles, setting the table for Bianca Morales (SO/Spring Valley, CA), who launched her seventh home run of the season over the left field fence for the 3-0 lead.
Karli Colenzo followed with a single, chasing Arizona Christian starter Savannah Smith from the game in favor of Helen Hayes. Sophia Kashou (FR/Anaheim, CA), who pinch ran for Colenzo, promptly stole second and third base, which allowed Amarah Farley (FR/Hemet, CA) to drive her in with a ground out to first.
The lead became 6-0 in the fifth. Chaves drove in Lailoni Mayfield (SR/Cerritos, CA) with a single and advanced to second on the throw, eventually coming around to score on a wild pitch.
Williams allowed her lone run to the Firestorm in the fifth as consecutive singles by Kaitlyn Anderson and Allie Fryklund started things off. Both runners moved up a base on a wild pitch, and Jade Phillips cashed in Anderson on a sacrifice fly.
ACU got one more run in the sixth off of VU reliever Anniyah Farley (JR/Hemet, CA). Taylor Schleisman doubled and came home on consecutive groundouts.
Chaves posted her third multi-hit game in the last four going 2-for-3 with two runs scored and an RBI. Morales finished with two hits and three RBIs.
Game 2 – The Lions are accustomed to playing in one-run games, doing so 17 times this season and going 11-6 in those. Unfortunately, VU was on the wrong side of the decision, falling 5-4 to the Firestorm in game two.
Brianna Williams got the start again, and took the loss after yielding six hits and four runs in 3.0 innings.
Vanguard struck for one run in the first inning, as an infield single by Morales plated Chaves, who singled, stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch.
However, the Firestorm responded with three runs in the bottom half, the big blow a two-RBI double from Fryklund. Anderson sent Fryklund home with a single as ACU took a 3-1 lead.
The two teams traded runs in the third. Mayfield doubled, moved to third on a sac bunt, and crossed home plate thanks to a Kaylie Williams single. The Firestorm reacted with a Trinity Lawson RBI double to reclaim the two-run advantage, 4-2.
LeeAnne Miranda (FR/Westminster, CA) entered in relief for the Lions in the fourth and gave up her one run in three innings of work on a Schleisma sacrifice fly.
That was a key run for the Firestorm, who would see the Lions trim the deficit to one on a two-run blast from Emma Noble (FR/Camarillo, CA) in the sixth. It was the first career homer for Noble, who drove in Ashley Klopfenstein (JR/Indio, CA) following a two-out walk.
However, ACU's Smith nailed down her third save of the season, getting the final four outs and retiring the Lions in order in the seventh.
Williams sustained the rare loss as her record moved to 21-4.
Morales and Kaylie Willams each had 2-for-4 performances at the plate. The Lions banged out nine hits but left six on base.
Why Is It Important?: Vanguard remained in second place in GSAC play with a huge doubleheader looming against league leader William Jessup.
What's Next?: The Lions return home Friday, April 8 for a doubleheader against Menlo. First pitch of game one is set for 2:00 p.m.
