COSTA MESA – Vanguard baseball may have lost a couple of battles on Saturday at Dean Harvey Field, but the Lions ultimately won the war.
The Blue and Gold dropped games by scores of 10-3 and 2-1 to No. 12 Hope International, finishing the regular season 26-21 overall and 9-15 in Golden State Athletic Conference play.
The Lions honored 18 players in a postgame Senior Day ceremony, as Bryce Barnett, Steven Casas, Eric Crouse, Jacob Dahlstrom, Oscar Diaz, Corey Jarrell, Dylan McDonald, Jesus Munguia, Caleb Oddo, Antonio Omphroy, Kevin Pence, Caleb Severson, Adam Stevens, Quincy Vassar, Daniel Vega, Nino Vultaggio, Jackson Webber and Aaron Zubiate took turns greeting teammates and taking pictures with family.
The lingering question remained. Was this the last game for these seniors to don the gold jerseys?
Arizona Christian provided the answer, and it was a resounding "no." The turbo-charged Firestorm offense handed The Master's 19-3 and 17-2 losses up in Santa Clarita, ensuring the Lions received the fifth and final berth into the GSAC Tournament bracket.
VU finished one game ahead of TMU, which ended up 8-16 in the GSAC. Had TMU won either of the two games against ACU, the Mustangs would have taken the tournament's final bid, and VU's season would have been done.
The timing was impeccable, as the 17-2 ACU rout had just about wrapped up as the VU seniors lined up and concluded the ceremony with one more team photo.
The Lions struggled to produce offense, managing just nine hits over the two games. Noah Madole had a home run and two hits in game one, while Vultaggio did the same in game two. Vultaggio also may have had the catch of the year in game two, robbing David Sims of a home run after leaping high above the left field fence to snare the ball.
What Happened?
Game 1 – No. 12 Hope International 10, Vanguard 3
The Lions landed in a 7-0 hole early in the game as the Royals posted four runs in the first and three more in the second off Dahlstrom.
Dean Toigo's three-run blast was the big blow in the first inning. In the second, Dahlstrom had nothing but bad luck as three Lion errors spelled three unearned runs. Two of the errors came on routine ground balls and the third on a dropped ball in the outfield.
The Royals led off the fourth with back-to-back singles, which chased Dahlstrom from the game in favor of Jake Hiner. Hiner allowed an RBI single to Toigo, who had a monster game going 3-for-5 with four RBI. The run was charged to Dahlstrom, as his final line included seven hits and eight runs allowed (five earned) with two walks and two strikeouts.
Hiner got the next two batters on ground ball force outs at the plate and second base to end the inning. The left-hander pitched well, holding the Royals to two runs over 5.0 innings and striking out three.
HIU starter Justin Drury could not be solved as the right-hander retired nine straight Lions at one point, striking out the side in the first. The Lions loaded the bases in the second on two walks and a hit by pitch, but Drury escaped the jam by getting the next two hitters to strike out and fly out.
VU filled the bags again in the sixth as Vultaggio led off with a walk, followed by consecutive singles from Madole and Jarrell. Jarred Mazzaferro lifted a high fly into center, which gave Vultaggio more than enough time to cross home plate to cut HIU's lead to 8-1.
Branden Chun-Ming homered with two outs in the seventh and J.J. Cruz went deep in the eighth as HIU upped its lead to 10-1.
Madole got in on the home run festivities as he roped a two-run shot in the bottom half of the eighth, scoring Vultaggio, who drew a leadoff walk.
Vega tossed a scoreless ninth. The game ended on a strike out and caught stealing at second as the Lions could not muster a rally in their final at-bat.
Game 2 – No. 12 Hope International 2, Vanguard 1
Vassar and David Rudd-Grow engaged in a pitcher's duel with all runs coming across on home runs in the fourth inning.
Both pitchers traded zeroes through the first three innings. Vassar induced double play grounders in the first and third to help his cause. Vultaggio kept Vassar's line clean after taking away Sims' bid for a homer in the second.
Rudd-Grow recorded five strikeouts through his first three frames.
Vassar got the first two outs of the fourth, but Alec Arnone singled to center as HIU recorded its first hit since the first. Toigo then deposited a pitch over the right field wall to give the Royals a 2-0 lead.
Vultaggio cut the HIU lead in half in the home half of the fourth, greeting Rudd-Grow with a solo home run to left.
Neither squad mustered any more runs as Munguia, Crouse and Webber limited the Royals to four hits over the final three innings.
Rudd-Grow lasted 5.0 innings, walking no one and fanning six.
Chandler DeJong and Boom Ward combined for four strikeouts over the final two innings as the lone Lion hit was a Vultaggio single in the sixth.
Rudd-Grow got the win to move to 1-1, while Ward earned his first save. Vassar got the tough luck loss to fall to 2-4.
Why Is It Important?: The Lions still have a path to the NAIA Tournament by getting into the GSAC Tournament.
What's Next?: VU opens the GSAC Tournament against No. 4 seed OUAZ on Monday, April 29 at 10:00 a.m. All games take place at the Orange County Great Park Baseball Stadium.
