FULLERTON, Calif. -- Vanguard softball made the away trip to Hope International Saturday afternoon and the Lions earned a hard-fought split on the day, taking game one 4-2 and falling in the second game 4-3 in eight innings.
Kamryn Walker led VU with six hits (6-for-7) and three RBI in the twin bill. The Lions go to 33-11 overall and 10-6 in Golden State Athletic Conference play, while the Royals go to 31-10, 9-7.
What Happened? HIU had swept the Blue and Gold earlier in the GSAC season, but
Brianna Williams got the better result in her dual against Allie Puente yesterday. Williams had four strikeouts and two walks in seven innings of work, while Puente had six Ks and four walks, while Hope also had the only error of the game.
The Lions were slow to get into a rhythm in the batter's box, as VU did not get a player on base in the first or second frames. But the games' outlook changed in the top of the third.
Ashley Klopfenstein took a leadoff walk and she soon swiped second.
Gaby Ramirez hit a fly ball that allowed Klopfenstein to advance to third, which brought
Aeri Corral to the dish. She poked a single through the left side of the infield to pick up the first RBI of the contest. Though Corral stole second, she then got caught trying to steal third. But that did not end the rally, as
Amarah Farley blasted a double to the left-center fence with two outs. That brought Walker to the plate, and she upped the ante by drilling a ball into right field for a triple, easily scoring Farley to put the VU edge at 2-0.
HIU got a home run in the bottom of the fourth to put the score at 2-1. The Royals then took advantage of a leadoff walk in the bottom of the sixth to tie things at 2-2, using a bunt and a single to bring the run home.
But despite the reset, the Lions did not get flustered and tagged two runs off of Puente in the top of the seventh to help earn the win. Corral reached on an error by the HIU first baseman and up to the plate stepped Farley. Puente left a ball in the zone for the Hemet native, who clobbered the ball over the fence in right-center field to put the Blue and Gold ahead 4-2.
Williams and the defense set HIU down in order in the bottom of the seventh to secure the 4-2 victory. VU tallied four runs on seven hits while leaving seven runners on base. HIU had two runs on four hits, one error, and stranded three runners on base.
Williams goes to 15-5 on the season and Puente falls to 20-8. Farley went 2-for-4 in the game and led the squad with two RBI. Walker was 2-for-3 with a walk.
Game Two
Walker had the opening hit of the second game in the top of the first and she added a stolen base to her ledger shortly after, but VU could not cash her in. However,
Vanessa Robles held HIU off the scoreboard in the bottom half. Both squads were quiet in the second but the scoring action got going in the third.
Hope loaded up the bases in the bottom of the third and
Mari Ipatzi replaced Robles in the circle for VU. Though HIU scored one on a sacrifice fly, a ground out then ended the danger and the Lions went to work tying the game.
Walker hit a leadoff single to center to start the top of the fourth and she again executed a steal. With Walker now at second,
Noni Chaves shot a ball to center and Walker tried to score, but she got thrown out by the Royals. Chaves ended up at second on the play, which worked out well for
Adriana Portillo. She lined a double down the left-field line that brought Chaves home to tie the contest at 1-1.
Vanguard then snagged the lead in the top of the fifth, as
Emma Noble reached on an error by the HIU shortstop. Corral bunted her to second and Farley took a walk to put two runners on. Walker continued her hot day with a single to left, as Noble raced home to put the Lions up 2-1.
The edge grew to 3-1 in the top of the seventh, as Corral torched a one-out double down the right-field line. Walker then smacked a single to center to bring Corral home, as VU entered the bottom of the seventh in the lead.
But HIU climbed back into the game in the bottom half, as the Royals got a walk and two singles to bring the lead down to 3-2.
LeeAnne Miranda replaced Ipatzi in the circle but another single tied the affair at 3-3, though Miranda and the defense then got out of the jam, sending the game to the eighth tied at 3-3.
VU could not bring Portillo home from third in the top half, and unfortunately, HIU used a sacrifice bunt and a single to score the winning run in the bottom of the eighth to win 4-3.
The Royals scored four runs on nine hits, had one error, and left seven runners aboard. VU had three runs, nine hits, and seven runners left on the base paths. Robles had one strikeout and Ipatzi had two, with Miranda falling to 3-2 on the season. Walker went 4-4 in the game, drove in two VU runs, and stole two bases.
Why is it Important? The Lions are now 99-37 all-time in the series between the two schools. VU is still in the mix for a GSAC regular season title, though Menlo needs to beat Jessup next weekend for that to happen.
What's Next? VU will have the Arizona schools in town at the end of next week, with OUAZ arriving for a 1:00 p.m. doubleheader on Friday. Senior Day celebrations will take place after the noon DH against Arizona Christian on Saturday.
