LINCOLN, Calif. – The Vanguard pitching staff surrendered three home runs to Jessup at McBean Park on Friday, starting a crucial Golden State Athletic Conference baseball series with 4-2 and 9-1 losses against the nation's seventh-ranked team.
Kayde Iranon hit a three-run home run in both games, and Chris Lopez added a solo shot in game two as the Blue and Gold fell to 24-14 overall and 7-10 in the GSAC. The Warriors bettered their record to 28-6 overall and 13-4 in conference play.
Noah Madole was one of the few bright spots at the plate for VU. The outfielder finished 3-for-6 for the doubleheader and added his first career home run to break up a shutout with two outs in the seventh inning of game two.
VU starting pitchers Jacob Dahlstrom and Spencer Edmondson struggled in their starts – both getting tagged by Iranon – and Edmondson had his shortest stint of the season, lasting just 1.2 innings. He allowed seven hits and six runs, with his ERA ballooning from 3.00 to 4.08.
Jessup, the GSAC leader in home runs, now has 75 on the season, 18 more than the next closest team.
#7 Jessup 4, RV Vanguard 2
Vanguard hitters struck out 14 times and left 10 men on base in the 4-2 loss to the Warriors. Iranon, the Jessup second baseman, provided the big blow with a three-run home run in the fourth inning.
Dahlstrom and counterpart Haliama Swartman traded zeroes through the first three innings. The Lions erased Warrior runners in the first and second on a pick off and caught stealing, and Dahlstrom fanned the final two hitters of the third.
Meanwhile, Swartman escaped a bases-loaded two-out jam in the second.
VU dented the scoreboard first with a run in the fourth. Adam Stevens drew a one-out walk and Madole singled with two outs. Pinch hitter Chris Brown followed with a single up the middle to plate Stevens for the 1-0 lead.
But the lead was short lived as the Warriors put three on the board with one swing of the bat in the bottom half. With Connor Culp and James Williams III aboard via a single and walk, Dahlstrom fanned Jack Grant for the second out. Iranon then lifted a high fly to left that cleared the fence for a three-run homer, which would prove to be the game-winning hit.
Swartman had five strikeouts through five innings, and recorded his sixth to end the sixth. But the Lions touched him for another run in the sixth as Levi Hall unloaded a two-out solo shot to center to cut the VU deficit to 3-2.
However, VU gave the run right back in Jessup's half of the sixth, aided by the only error of the contest. Culp led off with a walk. VU catcher Tevis Payne muffed Bryce Petrilla's sac bunt attempt, putting two runners aboard. Williams III walked to load the bases, and the Lions called on closer Jase Schueller to clean up the mess.
Schueller did the job in limiting Jessup to one run, getting Cole Hazel to fly out to center. Culp scored an unearned run on the sac fly. Schueller then reared back and whiffed Iranon and Drew Andrews to end the inning.
Jessup's bullpen dominated from there. Evan Williams took the ball from Swartman to start the seventh, and promptly struck out the side.
Fred Buckson led off the eighth with a single, but Williams responded by striking out the side for the second straight inning.
VU relievers Schueller, Jackson Webber and Kevin Pence tossed a combined three scoreless innings to leave the door open for a comeback, but Jessup closer Nolan Thebiay wiggled out of a ninth inning jam for his fifth save.
The Lions got a leadoff infield single from Madole and a one-out walk from Payne to put the tying runs aboard and the go-ahead run at the plate. But Thebiay struck out Nino Vultaggio and retired Oscar Diaz on a foul out to polish off the 4-2 victory.
Ten different Lions struck out in the game, including six times by the number two through four hitters. Dahlstrom fell to 1-3 on the year as he allowed four runs (three earned), five hits and five walks in 5.0 innings. He also struck out six Warriors.
Swartman improved to 5-0 after striking out six in 6.0 innings. Williams struck out six of the nine VU batters he faced in relief.
#7 Jessup 9, RV Vanguard 1
Jessup put the seven-inning game away almost immediately with a six spot in the first inning.
The Warriors pressured Edmondson from the get go as five straight hitters reached base via a double, three straight singles and a walk. Jessup took a 1-0 lead as Chris Lopez singled home Trey Furrey, who had doubled with one out. Petrilla's base hit up the middle scored Lopez for the 2-0 advantage, and Grant's sac fly extended the lead to three.
As he did in game one of the doubleheader, Iranon uncorked another three-run shot to left to double the Warrior lead to 6-0.
The Lions put runners at first and third on Jessup starter Max Moreno in the second, but stranded the runners on three fly outs.
Moreno rolled in his outing, retiring 11 straight Lions from the second until one out in the sixth when Vultaggio singled. Vultaggio got into scoring position after stealing second base, but two more Lions flew out as Moreno exited having thrown 6.0 scoreless innings with three hits allowed and no walks.
Moreno entered the game with a 5.14 ERA and 17 walks allowed in 28.0 innings pitched.
Lopez hit a solo shot in the fourth to put the Warriors up 7-0. Jessup tacked on two more runs in the sixth off VU reliever Quincy Vassar, who allowed three straight singles to load the bases. Hazel drove one run in on a sac fly and the Warriors scored their final run on a wild pitch.
Madole prevented the shutout in the seventh as he roped a home run to left off Jessup reliever Jason Riviello.
Why Is It Important?: The Lions are getting into dangerous territory on potentially missing the upcoming GSAC Tournament later this month. The top five teams qualify – and Vanguard is fifth with a narrow game and a half lead on The Master's, which fortunately lost 24-1 to Hope International earlier this afternoon. With two more games against Jessup, three against TMU, and four versus No. 16 Hope International looming, the Lions face a difficult road ahead.
What's Next?: VU plays another doubleheader against Jessup on Saturday with the 9-inning game beginning at 11:00 a.m. Game two will not count in the GSAC standings – only toward each team's overall record – and will last seven innings.
