COSTA MESA -- The regular season is coming towards a close for Vanguard softball and the team kicked off the final home stand of the year with a sweep of OUAZ on Friday. The Lions got another classic pitching performance from
Brianna Williams in game one and the offense battered the Spirit 7-0 to claim the opener. OUAZ took the lead first in game two, but VU scored the next five runs to erase any thoughts of an upset to win the second contest 5-1. The Blue and Gold go to 35-11 overall and 12-6 in GSAC play, while OUAZ falls to 27-21, 7-11.
What Happened? The defense was solid behind Williams, as VU did not have an error in the game. Williams recorded five strikeouts in her seven innings of work and she had a perfect game going until an OUAZ single in the top of the fourth ended the bid. The Spirit got a walk in the top of the fifth and another single in the top of the seventh, but no runners got beyond first base in the game. It is not surprising that Williams picked up another win against the Spirit, as though OUAZ won the first matchup against her 1-0, Williams has won the last six meetings, including the no-hitter she threw last year.
Meanwhile, the offense set to work in the bottom of the first and
Amarah Farley caught the OUAZ right fielder napping out of the gate. Farley belted a ball over her head into right field and two batters later,
Noni Chaves would bring her home with a single to center.
Up 1-0, VU increased the edge to 3-0 in the bottom of the third. Farley started things off again by taking a walk and
Kamryn Walker sliced a ball through a couple of diving players into right field, with Farley reaching third on the single. With Chaves at the plate, Walker took off in an attempt to steal second and the OUAZ catcher tried to throw her out. But the OUAZ second baseman missed the catch as Walker slid by, which allowed her to run to third and Farley to come home. Chaves then hit a sacrifice fly to bring in Walker.
The lead reached its pinnacle in the bottom of the sixth, with an
Adriana Portillo single opening the frame.
Bianca Morales took a walk after that and both players got an extra base on a past ball.
Mia Hernandez took a walk to juice the bases and the next Vanguard batter was
Emma Noble. She smacked a ball in the dirt and the Spirit decided to get Hernandez out at second, as Portillo trotted home and Morales got to third. VU then put
Mackenzie Hofmann in as a pinch hitter and the birthday girl sized up a 1-1 pitch and launched it over the fence in left for her second home run of the season.
VU scored seven runs on nine hits and left three runners on base. OUAZ had two hits, one error, and three runners left on the base paths. Hernandez went 2-2 to lead VU from the plate, while Chaves had two RBI and Hofmann tallied three. Eight Lions in total had at least one hit in the contest. Williams improved to 16-5 and picked up her third-career shutout of OUAZ.
Game 2
Vanessa Robles started game two efficiently, as she set down OUAZ in order in the top of the first. Chaves clobbered a triple in the bottom half with two outs, but the squad could not bring her home. For a while, that seemed like a big whiff, as a leadoff home run in the top of the second for the Spirit put the visitors up 1-0.
VU was still down 1-0 after the third inning, but a home run put a fresh wind in the Vanguard sails. Chaves led off the bottom of the fourth with a double down the right-field line and with one out, Morales came to the plate. Ahead in the count, she sized up a floating pitch and belted it over the left-field fence to put the Blue and Gold ahead 2-1.
The Lions extended the lead in the bottom of the fifth, as Farley led off with an infield single, beating the throw of the OUAZ shortstop. Farley soon swiped second with Walker at the plate, putting her in scoring position. Walker then grounded a ball on the right side of the infield and the OUAZ second baseman made a fielding error, allowing Farley to score. A few batters later, VU had runners at second and third but two outs. Hofmann came to the dish and she made her birthday even sweeter by lining a single to center to cash in both runners.
Ahead 5-1, Robles and the defense made some great plays to keep OUAZ off the board. Highlights included Walker and Morales turning in a double play in the top of the fifth and Hofmann making a leaping throw to get a batter out at first. And though the Spirit got runners to second and third in the top of the seventh, a fly ball caught by Chaves ended the game with VU up 5-1.
Vanguard scored five runs on six hits, committed two errors, and left five runners on the base paths. OUAZ had one run on four hits, three errors, and four runners stranded. Robles goes to 10-2 on the season and had one K in her seven innings of work. Chaves had two extra-base hits in three at-bats and both Hofmann and Morales had two RBI.
Why is it Important? The Lions are alive in the chase for the regular season title but need to sweep Arizona Christian and Menlo to sweep Jessup tomorrow. OUAZ is now two games back of ACU for the final spot in the conference tournament. Vanguard is now 17-4 against OUAZ all-time and swept the season series for the second time in program history. VU might have ended the OUAZ season as well, as the Spirit are now two games behind ACU for fourth in the standings, which is the final spot in the GSAC Tournament.
What's Next? The Lions will host Arizona Christian tomorrow for a noon doubleheader. The seven seniors will be honored after game two.
