SURPRISE, Ariz. – The Vanguard baseball team ran its winning streak to six straight after combining for 23 runs in a doubleheader sweep at OUAZ on Friday.
The Lions defeated the Spirit 15-8 and 8-2 to run their record to 23-11 overall and 10-7 in the Golden State Athletic Conference. OUAZ fell to 12-19-1 and 5-11-1 in conference action.
VU scored double-digit runs for the third time in five games. The team is averaging 9.7 runs during the six-game win streak.
The team pounded out 31 hits against Spirit pitching over the two games with Oscar Diaz hitting a hefty 6-for-10 with six RBI. Fred Buckson also starred offensively with a 5-for-10 performance, scoring five runs and driving in three.
Dane Nakatsuka, Adam Stevens, Tyler Gordon, Michael Downtain and Luke Arias posted multi-hit efforts in at least one of the two games.
Quincy Vassar turned in an effective long relief stint in game one, while Justin Graves won his second straight start with a six-inning effort in the nightcap.
VU's defense also played cleanly, committing just one error over the two games.
What Happened?
Game 1 – The Lions fell behind 6-1 after five innings as the Spirit touched VU starter Jacob Dahlstrom for four runs in the fourth.
VU mounted a furious comeback with 14 runs over the next three innings, including a six-run sixth that gave the Blue and Gold the lead for good. VU had six singles and a double to fuel the outburst with Buckson, Gordon, Emiliano Alarcon, Adam Stevens and Diaz all collecting RBI in the inning.
The Spirit defense committed two errors to aid the Lions in the seventh as five more runs crossed the plate. With the bases loaded, Michael Downtain hit a hard grounder that the OUAZ second baseman misplayed, allowing two Lions to come home on the play.
Diaz finished the rally with a two-RBI single to put the Lions up 12-6.
OUAZ used its fifth and sixth pitchers in hopes of throttling the VU offense in the eighth, but without success. The Lions opened the frame with three straight singles, with Gordon's base knock scoring Christopher Famolaro.
Buckson later scored on a passed ball and Nakatsuka accounted for the third run of the inning with a solo home run, his fifth of the season.
Dahlstrom got the win for VU to improve to 3-1 as the Lions had the lead when Vassar replaced him in the sixth. The right-hander gave up six hits and six runs (three earned) while walking three and striking out five.
Vassar tossed the four innings for the Blue and Gold, scattering six hits and allowing a pair of runs. He walked four and fanned two.
Tyler Bare suffered the loss for the Spirit.
Game 2 – The Lions jumped all over OUAZ starter Creighton Silvain for six runs over the first three innings to build a sturdy lead that they would not relinquish.
The run support was more than enough for Graves. After winning his 25th career game to set the school record last week against Jessup, Graves was sharp in this outing. He limited the Spirit to five hits and two runs while whiffing seven batters.
Diaz laced an RBI single to start the scoring in the first, plating Downtain, who doubled with one out.
Arias smacked an opposite field triple to score Buckson and Gordon in the second. Nakatsuka followed with an infield single to plate Arias. The Lions completed their four-run uprising as Diaz blooped a ball into left field allowing Nakatsuka to scamper home.
The Spirit got a run back in the bottom half of the second, but the Lions went up 6-1 as Alarcon drew a pinch hit, bases loaded walk in the third.
Downtain notched his second hit of the game with a one out single in the fifth. Diaz deposited a run-scoring triple into right that increased VU's lead to 7-1. The Lions scored their final run when Diaz raced home on a passed ball.
Graves struck out at least one OUAZ batter in four of his six innings. Toby Welty pitched a scoreless seventh to finish the game.
Why Is It Important?: The Lions are hitting .349 (67-for-192) during their season-best six-game win streak.
What Was Said?: "We're getting really good at bats from the order one through nine and we played a couple of clean games out in the field," said Head Coach Rob Pegg. "Definitely a recipe for victories."
What's Next?: The Lions make the quick turnaround and play another doubleheader on Saturday. VU will play a nine-inning game at 11:00 a.m. that will count in the GSAC standings. Game two will be a designated nonconference contest.
