COSTA MESA – Vanguard churned out 18 runs and 24 hits to sweep Bethesda by scores of 10-2 and 8-6 on a sunny Saturday for baseball at Dean Harvey Field.
The Lions outscored the Flames 40-13 in winning all four games of the series, and have now won eight of their last nine.
Antonio Omphroy hit his second home run of the series, and Jarred Mazzaferro finished the doubleheader 4-for-5 with three walks. The Lions tallied 15 walks and three hit by pitches as a slew of runners populated the bases throughout the afternoon.
Outfielder Corey Jarrell went 5-for-8 with two runs scored and two RBI in the twinbill.
Quincy Vassar had a no-hitter going through five innings in game one, while the Lions scored two runs in the sixth in game two to break a 6-6 tie. Jacob Dahlstrom closed the door on the Flames in the seventh, making a winner out of Jackson Webber, who got two huge outs to squash a Flame rally in the fifth.
The Lions are now 13-5 on the season, while the Flames fell to 3-13.
What Happened?
Game 1 – Vanguard 10, Bethesda 2
The Lions built a 4-0 lead through five innings to support Vassar, who mowed down Bethesda in retiring 15 of 16 hitters. The only Flame to reach base came on an error in the third.
Vassar got the Flames to ground out eight times and he struck out three while walking no one in just 63 pitches.
Vanguard scored twice in the second on a Mazzaferro RBI triple and a Steven Casas sacrifice fly. Jarrell slapped an RBI single in the fourth and Omphroy unloaded on a Jeremiah Duran pitch in the fifth, sending it over the fence inside the left field foul pole.
The Flames cut the deficit to 4-2 in the sixth as Vassar allowed a one-out 2-RBI single to Fabian Trujillo-Ruiz.
But the Lions scored three in the bottom half to pad their lead to 7-2. Oscar Diaz stroked a single to right to plate Casas and Jarrell, who had walked and doubled previously. Later in the inning, Brendan Wagner drew a bases loaded walk to score Diaz.
Insurance runs came in the seventh and eighth as Jarrell's fourth hit of the game scored Casas, while Aaron Zubiate doubled deep to left to bring home a pair of Lions for a 10-2 lead.
Kevin Pence, Daniel Vega and Pablo Small each pitched a scoreless inning. Vassar got the win to improve to 1-1. Duran took the loss after allowing seven hits, four runs and six walks in 5.0 innings.
Game 2 – Vanguard 8, Bethesda 6
Similar to Friday, the Flames played a much more competitive second game after getting routed in the first.
Bethesda touched VU starter Jesus Munguia for four hits and two runs in the first, but the Lions doubled that production with four runs in the bottom half.
Jarrell and Vultaggio drew walks off Bethesda starter Larry Salgado, and Fred Buckson laced a double down the left field line to score Jarrell. A wild pitch scored Buckson to tie the score at 2-2. Omphroy and Abe Hernandez hit RBI singles in the inning as well.
The Lions extended the lead to 6-2 after scoring a run in both the second and third innings. Buckson had a sac fly and Levi Hall delivered an RBI single to right.
Munguia kept the Flames off the board for the next three innings before finishing his outing.
The Lions turned to the bullpen in the fifth, and the Flames capitalized with four runs to tie the score at 6-6. Kegan Wentz did not record an out as the Flames amassed three singles and a walk. Ryan Pruett's RBI single plated Bethesda's third run. Pinch hitter Jeremy Blanton singled to load the bases, signaling another call to the bullpen in Bryce Barnett.
Humberto Soto greeted Barnett with a 2-RBI single to right. The Lions got a huge break as Diaz nabbed Soto attempting to steal third for the first out. The Flames tied the score on Justin Martinez's infield RBI single. After Miguel Santos walked to load the bases again, the Blue and Gold turned to third reliever Jackson Webber.
Nick Miranda lined a hard shot that Evan Avitia leaped to grab for the second out, and Trujillo-Ruiz grounded out to end the inning.
Webber pitched a clean sixth to set up the game-winning inning in the bottom half. On Bethesda's side, reliever Raudel Wilson had pitched three strong innings to that point before the Lions solved him.
Zubiate, who stole four bases in the series, swiped second after replacing Casas following his leadoff single. Vultaggio roped a double down the left field line to easily score Zubiate. That prompted a slew of defensive changes from the Flames, which included Trujillo-Ruiz from left field to the mound.
Trujillo-Ruiz threw consecutive wild pitches to eventually plate Vultaggio with VU's eighth run.
Dahlstrom capitalized with the save after tossing a 1-2-3 seventh with two Flames striking out, including Santos looking to end the game.
Webber (1-0) got the win following 1.2 scoreless innings.
Why Is It Important?: The Lions pounded 51 hits and committed just two errors over the four games. The pitching staff recorded a 3.38 ERA for the series.
What Was Said?: "We played some good baseball and dealt with some pressure in game two," said Head Coach Rob Pegg. "Jackson and Jacob pitched well in relief, and Quincy was outstanding. We had some great at-bats and really got the offense going. I'm looking forward to getting back into GSAC play."
What's Next?: The Lions head to the Grand Canyon State to meet Arizona Christian for a big three-game GSAC series. The two teams play a single game on Friday, March 1 at 6:00 p.m. (PT).
