SURPRISE, Ariz. -– Needing a good result on Saturday to take some positive energy back to Costa Mesa, Vanguard softball tried to conquer the OUAZ Spirit in a Golden State Athletic Conference doubleheader.  The Spirit put a damper on VU in game one, winning 8-5, but the Lions took out some anger in game two to back up a Brianna Williams (SO/Chandler, AZ) no-hitter, blanking OUAZ 13-0 in five innings.  The Lions go to 12-11 overall and 3-4 in GSAC action, with the Spirit going to 17-14 overall and 1-6 in league play.

What Happened?  The second game saw the bats for the Blue and Gold punish Alexandra McCutcheon and company.  The Lions scored multiple runs in every inning besides the second, when they were held off the board.  Kaylie Williams (SO/Moreno Valley, CA) led off the first with a triple and a single by Bianca Morales (JR/Spring Valley, CA) put VU up 1-0.  Carli Row (JR/Riverside, CA) then smacked a home run to make it 3-0 entering the bottom half.

Brianna Williams ended up not needing any run support beyond that, though the 10 extra runs given to her chopped two innings off the game.  She struck out nine hitters and only walked one batter to collect her first no-no as a Lion, the first since Kolbi Tonini in 2018.

Ashley Klopfenstein (SR/Indio, CA) brought home the first run of the top of the third with a single, and with two on, another single by Megan Ireland (FR/Tempe, AZ) made it 5-0.  A wild pitch scored Klopfenstein and a home run for Kaylie Williams gave the Lions an 8-0 edge.

Andrea Connor (FR/San Jose, CA) joined the home run parade in the top of the fourth, as her first as a Lion put the squad up 11-0.  A double for Marissa Gurrola (SO/Downey, CA) and a single for Tiffany Pope (FR/Walnut, CA) would cap the scoring at 13-0, as Brianna Williams set down the Spirit in order in the bottom half of the fifth to secure her no-hit victory.

The Lions left 10 runners on base and scored 13 runs off of 18 hits.  Each side also had one error.  Kaylie Williams had three hits to lead the lineup, with Morales, Klopfenstein, and Conner each netting two. Williams also had two RBI, as did Row, Ireland, and Connor.  

Emily Anderson (JR/Fort Collins, CO) and Jazmine Ayala held both teams scoreless through two innings in the opening game but both offenses got chugging after that.  Kaylie Williams reached on an error and Emma Noble (SO/Camarillo, CA) bunted her to second in the top of the third.  Morales then singled to push Williams to third and a passed ball allowed both to advance one base, putting the Blue and Gold up 1-0.  However, a home run for the Spirit sent the game to the fourth tied at 1-1.

Gurrola doubled to begin the fourth frame and an Ashlyn Whipple (FR/Las Vegas, NV) single scored her to put Vanguard ahead again.  Another single by Adrianna Natividad (SO/Norwalk, CA) would eventually cash in Whipple to push the advantage to 3-1.

However, the Spirit would equal the effort, as three singles loaded up the bases for the home side, with a pair of ground outs knotting the score at 3-3.

The fifth inning would be the deciding factor, as the Spirit outscored VU for the only time all day.  A single by Whipple scored Morales for VU, who had led off with a single.  But the Spirit got the first two hitters aboard in the bottom half and a double gave the home side its first lead of the day at 5-4.  Mari Ipatzi (FR/Oxnard, CA) came in for Anderson, but a single and another double booted the Spirit lead up to 7-4. 

Both sides would tag on a run in the sixth, with Williams slamming a home run for VU to cut the gap to 7-5.  The Spirit used some small ball to counter and despite a Gurrola single in the seventh, OUAZ closed out the contest to win 8-5.

Vanguard scored five runs on nine hits and left eight runners on base.  OUAZ scored eight runs on 10 hits, had two errors, and left four runners aboard.  Anderson struck out four batters and Ipatzi and LeeAnne Miranda (SO/Westminister, CA) each fanned one.  Gurrola was 2-for-2 and both Morales and Whipple were 2-for-4.  Whipple led the squad with two RBI.

Why is it Important?  The Lions go to 12-3 all-time against the Spirit and the team is now three games behind HIU in the standings.

What's Next?  Vanguard will make up the lost doubleheader to Saint Katherine on Wednesday, March 22, starting at 3:00 p.m.