COSTA MESA – Vanguard softball returned to the field on Friday for a doubleheader against the Westcliff Warriors.  The Lions had split with Westcliff last year but could not find enough runs in 2023, falling 2-1 and 6-3.  VU drops to 6-6 and Westcliff improves to 4-4.

What Happened?  The Warriors got to Brianna Williams (SO/Chandler, AZ) quickly in the top of the first, with a leadoff walk followed by a single.  VU got one out on a grounder, but another Warrior single put the visitors ahead 1-0.  Westcliff then brought home another run on an error on a throw over to first, but Williams then closed the door on the inning with back-to-back Ks.

Down 2-0, the Blue and Gold got a big boost in the bottom of the third as Bianca Morales (JR/Spring Valley, CA) smashed her third home run of the year over the left-center fence.  Unfortunately for Vanguard, that would be the last of the scoring.  Williams held Westcliff off the board despite the Warriors threatening to score in the top of the fourth and sixth.  Offensively, VU had only one hit in the bottom of the fifth, a single by Morales, but did not pick up another in the game.  Emma Noble (SO/Camarillo, CA) started the bottom of the seventh with a walk, but the Lions grounded into a double play to end the contest.

Westcliff scored two runs on seven hits and had nine runners left on base.  VU had one run on four hits, two errors, and four runners left on the base paths.  Sierra Danna picked up her first win of the year with her gem, getting two strikeouts and giving up three walks in the process.  Williams falls to 4-2 on the season and picked up seven Ks and four walks in her complete-game effort.

Game 2

Emily Anderson (JR/Fort Collins, CO) got the start for the second matchup and she set the Warriors down in order in the first.  Emily Rosas did the same for WU and the Warrior offense picked her up with the first run of the game in the top of the second.  Two straight singles put the first two Warrior hitters on, but Karly Colenzo (SR/Downey, CA) picked off the runner at first on a throw after a pitch.  However, the Westcliff batter smacked a double to the fence, putting WU up 1-0.  But on the play, the defense stepped up again to gun down the batter trying to stretch the double into a triple to limit the damage.

VU responded in the home half of the second to level the score at 1-1.  A leadoff double for Mackenzie Hofmann (JR/Tujunga, CA) was followed by a sac bunt by Colenzo, getting Hofmann to third.  Two batters later, Tiffany Pope (FR/Walnut, CA) guided a single to right, as Hofmann trotted home to tie the game.

Both pitchers held the lineups scoreless in the third but the Warriors jumped in front again in the top of the fourth.  A leadoff walk was bunted to second, with the next hitter plopping down a single to make the score 2-1.  The gap increased in the top of the fifth, as WU got another leadoff single.  Anderson then got a strikeout and a ground out to put two down, but she hit the next batter.  A passed ball pushed both Warriors forward a base and a single brought one home, though Anderson fanned the next hitter to retire the side.

Vanguard still trailed 3-1 in the bottom of the seventh but life slowly ebbed into the lineup.  Kaylee DeMaio (SO/Simi Valley, CA) took a walk and Adrianna Natividad (SO/Norwalk, CA) poked a single into left.  Morales hit a ground ball that moved the pair to second and third, bringing up Kaylie Williams (SO/Moreno Valley, CA).  She soon drove a ball into the right-center gap to tie the game, racing all the way to third to give VU a chance to win the game on the triple.  But Westcliff got the next batter out, moving the contest into the eighth.

The Warriors managed to reset quickly and put up three runs in the top half of the inning to take a 6-3 lead in the game.  Annie Swanson (FR/Eagle, ID) picked up a single in the bottom half but the Blue and Gold went down in order from there, falling 6-3.

VU scored three runs on nine hits, had one error, and left eight runners on base.  Westcliff had six runs on nine hits, two errors, and three runners left on in game two.  Danna had come on for the save but ended up with her second win of the day, with Anderson falling to 0-2.  Hofmann had a productive game from the plate, with three hits including two doubles.  Williams had two hits and two RBI.

What's Next? Vanguard will hit the road for two games against Saint Katherine on Thursday, February 23, at 3:00 p.m.