ATHERTON, Calif. – Menlo utilized the extra base hit to take the rubber game, 5-3, snatching the series from Vanguard to conclude Golden State Athletic Conference regular season play on Saturday at Cartan Field.
The Oaks scored all of their runs via a pair of home runs and a double to finish their season 9-31 overall and 5-17 in GSAC play.
The game finished quickly in an hour and 34 minutes.
Vanguard returns to Costa Mesa 32-14 overall, third place finishers in the GSAC with a 15-9 record.
What Happened?: After a slugfest-filled Friday doubleheader which included 43 combined runs and 42 hits, the bats calmed down a bit on Saturday, although the runs that did dent the scoreboard came as a result of power swings.
The Blue and Gold sent Dylan McDonald to the hill in hopes of recreating his last outing, in which he tossed a complete game five-hit shutout against San Diego Christian. He also struck out 10 in that game.
McDonald reprised his role as strikeout pitcher, whiffing 10 Oaks against just one walk in seven solid innings. He had one tough inning, resulting in a 3-0 lead for the Oaks.
Joseph Selvaggio led off the third with a solo home run to put Menlo up 1-0. WIth one out, Jonathan Charboneau got aboard on a VU error. McDonald retired Jaxon Hotta on a pop out for what would have been the third out of the inning. However, Sean Pettener tagged McDonald for a two-run home run in the next at bat as the Oaks started with a 3-0 lead.
McDonald kept the Oaks at bay the remainder of the game, finishing his stint by retiring the last 11 hitters he faced.
The Lions could not solve the riddle of Menlo starter Logan Snow, who allowed only two runners to get into scoring position through five innings.
However, Vanguard put some pressure on Snow in the sixth. Dane Nakatsuka struck out to lead off the inning but reached first on a passed ball. Tommy Rodriguez walked with one out to get two runners aboard. Snow struck out the next VU batter, but Menlo called in reliever Evan Wilcox to finish the inning.
Instead, Wilcox uncorked back-to-back wild pitches that allowed Nakatsuka to score and cut the deficit to 3-1.
The Lions tied the score in the seventh off Menlo's second reliever, Steve Soto. Adam Stevens drew a leadoff walk. With one out, Luke Arias crushed his second home run of the season.
However, that would be all the offense VU mustered as the Lions went down in order in the eighth and ninth.
Quincy Vassar entered in relief for the eighth and looked solid initially as he got Charboneau to chase strike three for the first out. But he issued a walk to Hotta and plunked Pettener with a pitch.
Matthew Leong followed with a two-RBI double to provide the Oaks a 5-3 lead.
Tyler Kennedy entered for the Oaks in the ninth, retiring the Lions 1-2-3 for the save. He struck out the last two VU batters swinging to end the game.
Vassar took the loss to fall to 3-2 on the season. Richard Kiel pitched a perfect eighth for Menlo to earn the win.
Why Is It Important?: The Lions will be the No. 3 seed in the GSAC Tournament and will face second-seeded Hope International in the Monday, May 1 opener at the OC Great Park. First pitch will be 2:00 p.m.
What's Next?: The Lions will host Senior Day at Dean Harvey Field on Wednesday, April 26 against Saint Katherine. The game will begin at 2:30 p.m.
