SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – Benedictine Mesa rallied for eight runs in the ninth inning to earn an 11-7 victory over Vanguard in the NAIA Baseball Championship Opening Round on Wednesday at Russell Carr Field. The loss ended VU's season at 35-18. Earlier that afternoon, the Lions kept their hopes alive with a 10-2 triumph against British Columbia in which they scored eight runs over the final two innings.
The Lions smashed four home runs over the two games, including in each contest from freshman Marco Lopez. Oscar Diaz and Fred Buckson also went deep. Senior center fielder Tommy Rodriguez had a huge afternoon, going 5-for-8 with two runs scored. Buckson was 3-for-7 with four RBI and Lopez finished 2-for-4 with five RBI.
Vanguard has won 119 games over the last three seasons, the most in any three-year stretch in program history.
What Happened?
Benedictine Mesa 11, Vanguard 7
The Lions came tantalizingly close to victory with a 6-3 lead, two outs and two strikes on Josh Hernandez in the ninth inning, but a nightmare finish unfolded. Four straight singles, a walk, another single and a pair of VU errors plated eight runs for the Redhawks, which led 11-6 when the dust finally settled.
Benedictine Mesa finished the inning with seven hits and two walks off four Lion relievers. The go-ahead hit came on a two-run single from Anthony Sortino.
The Blue and Gold tried to mount a rally of their own in bottom half of the ninth, getting singles from Tyler Gordon, Michael Downtain and Buckson to score one run. Rodriguez followed with another base knock to load the bases and get the tying run to the plate. But Redhawk reliever Bobby Romitti ended the game with a strikeout.
Vanguard trailed 3-1 through six innings, but struck first as Dane Nakatsuka and Gordon led off the home half of the first with consecutive hit by pitches. Diaz poked a single to right to bring in Gordon for the 1-0 lead.
The Redhawks scored single runs in the third, fifth and sixth off VU starter Jesus Munguia, who threw a solid 5.1 innings. The right-hander allowed six hits and three runs, while striking out two.
A pair of errors to start the seventh by BENU third baseman Kevin Fitzgerald created an opportunity for Lopez, in a pinch hitting role. He took full advantage, crushing a Justin Bates pitch over the right field wall for a three-run home run and a 4-3 VU lead.
The Lions added two more runs in the eighth with another pinch hitting success story, as Corey Jarrell singled up the middle to score Buckson and Antonio Omphroy for the 6-3 advantage.
Nate Madole pitched brilliantly for the Blue and Gold in relief of Munguia. He inherited a runner at second after Dylan Bangs led off the sixth with a double. Madole entered with one out, and the Redhawks eventually scored Bangs following a wild pitch and a ground out.
The southpaw then kept the Redhawks off the scoreboard in the seventh and eighth, escaping a bases loaded jam in the eighth.
Playing its fourth game in three days, VU ran out of gas in the ninth as the Redhawks earned their second comeback win against the Lions in the regional.
Vanguard 10, British Columbia 2
The Lions erupted for eight runs over the final two innings to turn a 2-2 tie into a 10-2 romp in an elimination game against the Thunderbirds.
Two British Columbia errors paved the way for Buckson's three-run shot in the eighth. With two outs, UBC reliever Daniel Sereda plunked Christopher Famolaro with a pitch. Diaz then reached on a miscue by the first baseman, allowing Famolaro to advance to third. The UBC third baseman then muffed a grounder by Omphroy, as Famolaro scored the go-ahead run for the 3-2 lead.
Buckson followed with a mammoth blast over the left field wall, his team-leading ninth of the season.
The Lions were not finished as they collected four more runs in the ninth, aided by two more Thunderbird errors. The big blow was a three-run dinger to right by Diaz, who homered for the second time in the tournament.
VU starter Quincy Vassar got the no-decision, but he kept the Lions close with a gritty 5.1 innings. The left-hander struck out eight and allowed a pair of runs.
The Thunderbirds loaded the bases on three consecutive walks in the sixth off Vassar and reliever Bryce Barnett. Jackson Webber was summoned, and Aaron Marsh's sacrifice fly accounted for the only run of the inning for UBC.
Webber pitched superbly, tossing 3.2 innings and allowing just three hits with one strikeout. He threw 47 pitches while retiring 11 of the 14 batters he faced. He earned his team-leading seventh win.
Sereda took the loss and fell to 2-3 as the Thunderbirds concluded their season at 35-21.
The Lions scored their 10 runs on eight hits, getting three RBI each from Diaz and Buckson. Lopez hit the first of his two home runs on the day after getting the start at designated hitter. The lefty unloaded an opposite field two-run shot in the second to put the Lions up 2-0.
What Was Said?: "Proud of these guys," said Head Coach Rob Pegg. "They competed as one and fought to the finish. Thankful for all the seniors and their contributions to the team. It was a successful year in the end."
