COSTA MESA – Vanguard baseball showed it clearly belonged with future NCAA Division II and Pac West Conference member Hawaii Pacific on Tuesday at Dean Harvey Field, but too many errors damaged the Blue and Gold's hopes in a 12-9 loss.
The Lions committed a season-high seven errors, leading to six unearned runs. Despite the miscues, VU led 9-8 entering the eighth inning. But tough luck outings for pitchers Spencer Edmondson and Jase Schueller ended with three Sharks crossing the plate on account of four errors in the inning, including two in the infield that would have kept HPU off the scoreboard had they been fielded cleanly.
Vanguard piled up 17 hits on Hawaii Pacific pitching with Tevis Payne and Oscar Diaz belting out three apiece. In addition, Fred Buckson, Corey Jarrell, Jarred Mazzaferro and Levi Hall contributed two hits each.
HPU scored at least one run in each of the first five innings, but the Lions kept pace with five runs in the second, two in the fifth and two more in the sixth.
Three Shark relievers blanked the Lions over the final three innings, as Ryan Inouye picked up his seventh save.
Edmondson took the loss to drop to 4-2, giving up two hits and five runs (one earned) in 3.1 innings. Landen Argabright earned his first win despite giving up three hits and a walk in 1.1 innings.
The Lions fell to 22-12, while the Sharks snapped an eight-game losing streak to return to the .500 mark at 15-15.
What Happened?
Jacob Dahlstrom took the ball for the Lions and ran into trouble in the first as the first five Sharks reached base. A pair of singles in front of Skyler Agnew had him drop a bunt down the third base line, but a throwing error allowed pinch runner Cooper Donlin to score. Dahlstrom hit the next batter and allowed an RBI single to Jordan Otjen and a sac fly to Noah Hata for a 3-0 HPU lead.
The damage could have been worse but Payne nabbed Tejean Smith attempting to steal third for the second out.
With runners on first and third, the Sharks cashed in another run in the second on Agnew's RBI single to right.
Trailing 4-0, the Lions punished HPU starter Brennan Kettle with five runs in the second. VU loaded the bases following a Jarrell single, Mazzaferro double and Antonio Omphroy walk. Steven Casas brought home Jarrell on a foul out to right and Payne rapped a two-out single to left to plate Mazzaferro and Omphroy.
The Lions kept threatening and had runners on second and third when Diaz singled and advanced to second on a throwing error by Kettle. Both Nino Vultaggio and pinch runner Aaron Zubiate scored on the play, with Vultaggio's run the lone unearned one for HPU pitching.
VU's 5-4 lead was short-lived as HPU tied the score with a run in the third. Hata collected a one-out triple and scored on a wild pitch. Jackson Webber escaped a bases loaded jam after entering for Dahlstrom, who lasted 2.2 innings and gave up seven hits and five runs (four earned). Webber got a ground out to end the inning.
Webber allowed his lone run during his 1.1 inning outing as the Sharks used a Smith double and Otjen single to take a 6-5 lead in the fourth.
HPU extended the lead to 8-5 with a pair of runs in the fifth. Frankie Peralez hit a leadoff double and scored an unearned run when Edmondson's wild throw got away from Omphroy at first on Caleb Millikan's grounder.
But the Lions closed the gap to 8-7 in the bottom half. Diaz drew a leadoff walk, advanced to second on a wild pitch and to third on Buckson's groundout. He trotted home on Jarrell's single, chasing reliever Steven Escarcega for Vicente Molina.
Molina fanned the first batter he faced for the second out, but the Lions caught a break as strike three to Omphroy went to the backstop and allowed him to reach first on the wild pitch. Hall capitalized as his single enabled pinch runner Christopher Famolaro to score all the way from second.
VU took the lead in the sixth the Lions scratched out three singles and a walk with one out. Stevens loaded the bases with his knock to center, and Mazzaferro drew a walk to score Diaz. Argabright replaced Jeremy Kahle and struck out the first Lion he faced, but offered up a free pass to Hall as Buckson came home for the 9-8 lead.
Edmondson had settled into a groove, retiring five of six Sharks through the sixth and seventh innings. The only HPU player to reach base came on a VU fielding error in the sixth.
The right-hander allowed a leadoff walk in the eighth to Chase Taylor, and he moved to second on a sac bunt. The next two Sharks reached on VU infield errors as Taylor scored an unearned run to tie the score at 9-9.
Instead of being out of the inning with the lead intact, Edmondson departed for Jase Schueller. Two more errors enabled Agnew to score the go-ahead run, and Hayden Huff's fielders choice RBI grounder plated Smith for the 11-9 HPU lead.
The Lions mounted a two-out rally with a pair of singles off HPU reliever Enrique Espinoza in the eighth, but a force out at second ended the threat.
HPU extended the lead to 12-9 in the ninth after more defensive troubles bit the Lions. Millikan's fly ball between shortstop and the left fielder was dropped, putting the No. 9 batter in the HPU order on second. The Sharks parlayed a sac bunt and an RBI single for an insurance run.
Inouye retired the Lions in order in the ninth to close out the three hour and 18 minute game.
Why Is It Important?: The Lions have committed 18 errors over the last seven games. The team had just 22 errors through the first 27 games.
What's Next?: VU returns to action on Tuesday, April 2 against Chapman at Dean Harvey Field. First pitch is at 2:30 p.m.
