COSTA MESA – In a baseball series where all three games were decided by one run, No. 19 OUAZ came from behind twice on Saturday to sweep the doubleheader from Vanguard by scores of 10-9 and 5-4.
The Spirit left Costa Mesa with an overall record of 21-8 and 8-7 in the Golden State Athletic Conference. The Lions fell to 19-11 and fourth place in the conference standings at 7-8.
Vanguard gave up leads in all three games. On Friday, the Lions led 14-6, only to witness the Spirit tie the score with eight runs in the ninth inning. VU eventually won 15-14 with a single run in the 11th inning.
That wasn't the case on Saturday as OUAZ erased a 7-0 first inning deficit in game one. In game two, the Spirit trailed by a more modest 4-2 score, but pecked away with single runs in the fourth, fifth and sixth to complete another comeback.
Vanguard smashed six home runs in the series, including two on Saturday, but the offense got shut down in the middle to late innings by the OUAZ bullpen in both contests. The Lions committed a season-high four errors in game two to help OUAZ rally.
Tevis Payne, Nino Vultaggio, Oscar Diaz and Antonio Omphroy recorded hits in both games. Diaz finished 3-for-8 with two runs scored and three RBI in the doubleheader. He also hit his fourth home run of the season in game two. Vultaggio blasted his team-leading sixth roundtripper in game one.
Sergio Alfaro and Christian Powell hit homers for the Spirit.
What Happened?
Game 1 – No. 19 OUAZ 10, Vanguard 7
The Lions chased OUAZ starting pitcher Evan Massie from the game after just two-thirds of an inning, scoring seven runs on five hits. VU had three consecutive RBI hits from Omphroy, Jarred Mazzaferro and Abe Hernandez, with the big blow a bases-clearing double down the left field line by Payne.
Payne's hit removed Massie from the game in favor of Zach Hangas, who pitched brilliantly in relief.
VU starting pitcher Jake Hiner mowed down six of the first seven OUAZ batters with a pair of strikeouts, but got stuck in quicksand in the third. Four of the first five Spirit reached based on two singles, a double and a walk, scoring their first win on an RBI groundout by Nick Lustig and their second on a Powell knock up the middle.
Alfaro's three-run blast to left field cut Vanguard's lead to 7-5.
After Hiner retired Daniel Durazo for the second out, the southpaw continued to struggle and allowed a Logan Meyer single and hit by pitch to Nick Tarver. The Lions replaced Hiner with Jacob Dahlstrom, who hit catcher Joel Esparza, the player who started the inning with a single. Michael Carter completed the scoring carousel with a two-RBI single to right. The Spirit sent 12 batters to the plate in the inning and emerged in a 7-7 tie.
Hangas set down eight of the first nine Lions he faced, including three strikeouts. He gave up a second inning single to Omphroy with two outs, but picked off the VU first baseman to end the inning.
OUAZ scored three runs in the fourth to take a 10-7 lead. Dahlstrom struck out Alfaro, Carter and Lustig in the inning, but allowed four singles, a walk and a hit by pitch. Three straight RBI singles from Durazo, Meyer and Tarver did the damage.
The only hiccup Hangas encountered was in the bottom half of the fourth as Vultaggio uncorked a solo shot to left with two outs. Diaz and Fred Buckson notched back-to-back singles to put runners at the corners, and Diaz came home on a fielding error by OUAZ's Joey Winters, who failed to catch a pickoff attempt at first from Hangas.
Hangas did not allow another run the rest of the way, striking out four straight and five of six Lions at one point. The Lions had runners at second and third in the sixth and seventh, but could not cash in.
Hangas fanned 11 Lions with just one walk in 8.1 innings, allowing seven hits and two runs (one earned) in a 114-pitch outing. He improved to 4-2 with the win.
Dahlstrom also pitched well after surrendering the three runs in the fourth. He did not allow OUAZ to score again and completed 6.1 innings of relief. The right-hander yielded five hits, walked two and whiffed seven. He got 12 consecutive outs at one juncture and struck out the side in the sixth. But he fell to 1-2 on the season after taking the unfortunate loss.
Game 2 – No. 19 OUAZ 5, Vanguard 4
OUAZ scored first for the first time in the series with two unearned runs in the second off VU starter Dylan McDonald.
Durazo hit a leadoff double and moved to third with one out after Omphroy misplayed a grounder to first by Nano Perez. Meyer's RBI single brought in Durazo for the 1-0 lead. The Spirit scored their second run on a VU throwing error.
VU, which put up a crooked number in eight innings throughout the entire series, did so for the last time with a four-run rally in the third. Vultaggio singled home Steven Casas for the first run. With two runners aboard, Diaz turned on a Brayden Marcum offering and deposited it over the right field wall for a three-run homer.
The 4-2 Lion lead would be erased as OUAZ put up a single run in each of the next three innings. Powell homered to left to lead off the fourth to narrow the deficit to 4-3.
The Spirit tied the score in the fourth, aided by another VU error. OUAZ put runners on first and second, and Durazo's single was bobbled in center field. The miscue enabled Carter to score from second.
McDonald pitched five innings, giving up four runs with only one earned. He walked one and struck out three. Quincy Vassar took over in the sixth and gave up a leadoff single to Owen Prendergast. Carter followed with a one-out single to left, and a fielding error allowed Prendergast to score all the way from first for the 5-4 lead.
Three OUAZ relievers kept the Blue and Gold off the board as Tyler Bare, Connor Wilson and Creighton Silvain combined for three innings of scoreless ball.
Silvain, who took the loss in Friday's 15-14 wild affair, avenged the defeat with 1.2 innings of work. He struck out three, including two in the seventh. He fanned Buckson with runners on first and second to end the game, picking up the win to improve to 2-2.
Vassar took the hard luck loss after giving up the unearned run in the sixth, falling to 1-3.
Why Is It Important?: The Lions are 2-7 in one run games this season.
What's Next?: VU hosts SAGU American Indian for three games next week. The two teams play a single game on Thursday, March 21 at 3:00 p.m.
