REDLANDS, Calif. -- Returning to the field Tuesday, Vanguard baseball tamed the Redlands Bulldogs in an 18-4 thumping. The offense returned to its desired form, as the Lions posted 18 runs on 19 hits while holding the Bulldogs off the board until the ninth inning. Redlands falls to 7-6 overall and the Lions jump to 14-8.
What Happened? It did not take long for the bats to start cracking for the Blue and Gold, as
Corey Jarrell took a leadoff walk.
Nino Vultaggio picked up a single and an
Oscar Diaz walk loaded up the bases.
Tevis Payne put the lead at 1-0 off a sacrifice fly and a single by
Jarred Mazzaferro brought in the second run of the contest.
Jesus Munguia was in control for the three innings that he featured in, picking up five strikeouts and allowing only three hits. He was the only pitcher to throw more than one inning, as six other hurlers came out for VU, as the staff combined for 15 strikeouts and three walks in the contest.
The offense doubled the lead in the top of the second, as back-to-back triples by
Evan Avitia and Jarrell made it 3-0. Vultaggio found a hole on the left side for a single to cash in Jarrell, as Vanguard pushed the score to 4-0 after two frames.
Two more runs came across the plate in the top of the fourth, as Avitia picked up a one-out single to start the rally. He scooted to second and then third on a throwing error by the UR pitcher and Jarrell took a walk to put runners on the corners. Vultaggio stayed perfect at the dish by slapping a single to right field to bring in Avitia, and a sacrifice fly by Diaz put VU ahead 6-0 as Jarrell crossed home plate.
Another big explosion came in the top of the fifth, as Payne and Mazzaferro took walks to start the inning.
Noah Madole snuck a single through the left side to make it 7-0 as Payne came around to touch home. A wild pitch and a walk put three ducks on the pond and a base knock for Avitia made it 8-0 as Mazzaferro scored. A wild pitch scored Madole and a ground out helped Jarrell to run home to increase the margin to 10-0 Another single by Vultaggio brought in Avitia, as the Lions extended the lead to 11-0.
VU put up four more tallies in the top of the sixth, as three walks put runners at every base. A walk to Jarrell bumped the lead to 12-0 and Vultaggio picked up an RBI by getting hit by a pitch to send the advantage to 13-0. Diaz then slammed a double to left-center field to increase the edge to 15-0. A couple batters later and a walk loaded up the bases, and Diaz scampered home on a wild pitch to make it 16-0.
Runs 17 and 18 came across the plate in the top of the seventh, with
Aaron Zubiate leading off the frame with a single. A
Chris Brown double brought him in and the first hit of the year for
Caleb Severson gave him his first RBI as well, as Brown came in from third.
Mitch Hunter gave up the four Bulldog runs, as a couple of singles and a double made it 18-4, but a comeback was never in the offing for the hosts.
Vultaggio was a perfect 4-for-4 with 4 RBI, with Avitia not far behind with a 3-for-5 day with one RBI. Jarrell and Diaz tied for second on the team with three runs batted in and Brown, Mazzaferro, and Zubiate had two hits apiece. The only thing the Lions did not do in the game was have a home run. Redlands had nine hits in the contest and each team had one error. This was the second time this season that the Lions have pegged 18 runs on the scoreboard after doing it on the road to Menlo.
What was Said? "A very good team win today," relayed Head Coach
Rob Pegg. "A number of guys had very good days at the plate and we need to carry this into the weekend."
What's Next? With a rainout at Menlo earlier in the season, the Lions will host the Oaks for back-to-back doubleheaders starting at 11:00 a.m. on both Friday and Saturday.
