COSTA MESA – Vanguard softball went toe-to-toe with Southern Oregon on Thursday at the VU Softball Field, coming up short in 4-2 and 4-3 losses against the nation's second-ranked team.
The Lions fell behind 4-0 early in both games, but scrambled back into contention each time with late rallies.
Brianna Williams took the ball in game one and suffered her first loss of the season as she fell to 6-1. Her counterpart, Katie Machado, improved to 5-0 with a complete game effort in game one, and she notched her second save with 2.1 scoreless innings in the second game.
Amarah Farley, Marissa Gurrola and Williams all had multi-hit games. Farley extended her hitting streak to 10 straight games as she finished 3-for-8 in the doubleheader.
Freshman shortstop Kamryn Walker also had a hit in each game, and she now has hit safely in nine of the last 10 contests. Senior Bianca Morales tallied a hit in both games. The first baseman is riding a four-game hit streak, going 6-for-11 over that span.
LeeAnne Miranda pitched beautifully in game two to keep the Lions within striking distance. She logged 4.0 innings of one-hit scoreless relief.
The Lions had their 11-game winning streak snapped and fell to 11-3. The Raiders improved to 9-2.
What Happened?
Game 1 – No. 2 Southern Oregon 4, Vanguard 2
Southern Oregon struck for at least one run in each of the first three innings to build enough of a cushion against Williams.
The Raiders got the leadoff batter on in each of those first three innings. Faith Moultrie walked to begin the game and moved into scoring position on a sac bunt. She scored on a double to right center by Piper Love. The Lions escaped further trouble when Ashley Klopfenstein corralled a foul out by Hannah Clavelle, and nailed Love attempting to take third base.
Sammie Pemberton got plunked by a pitch to start the SOU second. She moved up a base on a sac bunt, and then stole third – one of three steals in the inning by the Raiders. With runners on second and third, Sarah Kerling drove in Pemberton on an infield single.
Machado set down the first six Lions before yielding consecutive singles to Bianca Morales and Williams to commence the third. At that point, the Lions trailed 4-0 after Jordan Henderson roped a 2-RBI double to right to score Pemberton and Love in the top half of the inning.
After Morales went to third on a fly out from Lilyana Roth, the next two Lions were retired by strikeout and fly out, respectively.
Williams settled down as she allowed the Raiders just two singles and a walk over the next four innings, setting them down in order in the fourth and seventh.
Batting eighth in the order, the right-hander helped her own cause in the fifth with a leadoff single. Farley singled with one out to put two runners aboard, and Williams came home on Walker's base hit to right field.
The Lions got a single from Marissa Gurrola with one out in the seventh. Gurrola moved to second on a Machado wild pitch, and VU cut the deficit to 4-2 on Farley's base knock up the middle. Farley, who advanced to second on the throw, went too far off her base on Walker's liner to third and got doubled up trying to scramble back to second.
Machado completed the game allowing eight hits and two runs while walking one and striking out seven.
Williams also surrendered eight hits and gave up four runs, walking three and fanning two.
Game 2 – No. 2 Southern Oregon 4, Vanguard 3
The Lions threatened in the first after starting pitcher Mari Ipatzi retired the Raiders with relative ease in the top half.
VU loaded the bases with one out against SOU starter Kennedy Kila, but Adriana Portillo grounded into a double play as the Raider catcher tagged out Farley attempting to come home before firing to first.
In the second, the Lions juiced the bases again on two walks and a single. The Raiders pulled Kila in favor of Mayze Menefee, and the reliever induced another double play grounder – this time off the bat of Farley.
The missed opportunities spelled trouble for the Blue and Gold as SOU burst out for four runs in the third. Clavelle and Henderson each drove in a pair via a double and single, respectively. Until that point, Ipatzi had allowed just two singles through the first two frames.
Miranda relieved Ipatzi to start the fourth and handcuffed the Raider offense for the next four innings. She allowed just one hit and one walk while striking out three. She encountered some trouble in the sixth when the first two Raiders reached base on consecutive errors, but avoided damage as she sandwiched two ground outs around a strikeout.
The Blue and Gold trimmed their deficit to 4-3 with a three-run fifth. The Raiders gifted the Lions a pair of runners via two errors of their own. Gurrola, who singled and stole second to lead off the inning, came home after the Raider shortstop botched Mia Hernandez's ground ball. Portillo and Morales followed with RBI singles. With the tying run at third and the go-ahead run at second, Machado entered in relief and struck out Megan Ireland to extinguish the rally.
Machado allowed singles to Gurrola in the sixth and Hernandez in the seventh, but the Lions could not solve the SOU hurler as she earned the save.
Ipatzi took the loss to fall to 2-1. Menefee, who tossed 3.1 innings of relief and allowed three unearned runs, improved to 4-2.
Why Is It Important?: The Lions competed inning for inning with one of the top national title contenders in the NAIA.
What's Next?: VU makes its second trip of the season to Palmdale to battle Antelope Valley for a Friday doubleheader, with the first game beginning at 2:00 p.m.
