LINCOLN, Calif. – Vanguard baseball finished its foray into northern California with identical 8-3 losses to No. 7 Jessup on Saturday at McBean Park.
The Lions lost all three countable games in the Golden State Athletic Conference standings, falling to 7-11 in conference play. The fourth and final game counted toward each team's overall record only, as the Lions now sit at 24-16. Jessup improved to 30-6 overall and 14-4 in the GSAC.
VU was outscored 29-9 in the series. The pitching staff recorded an 8.36 ERA for the series, allowing five home runs, including three to Jessup second baseman Kayde Iranon.
The Blue and Gold hit .246 over the four games, but struck out 34 times against just 10 walks against Jessup hurlers.
Nino Vultaggio led the Lions offensively in Saturday's doubleheader, going 3-for-7 with three runs scored. Tevis Payne finished 3-for-5 with a run scored and two RBI.
Adam Stevens, Oscar Diaz and Noah Madole joined Vultaggio and Payne as Lions who recorded two-hit games.
What Happened?
Game 1 – #7 Jessup 8, Vanguard 3
Dylan McDonald got the start for the Lions and navigated through the powerful Warrior lineup for three innings without giving up a run.
He struck out the side in the first to maneuver out of a bases loaded jam as the Warriors sandwiched two walks around a single.
McDonald escaped a first and third situation in the second after retiring Jessup's best hitter, Trey Furrey, on a grounder to shortstop. He also registered a 1-2-3 third inning.
However, the VU bats could not get going, striking out five times over the first three innings against Jessup starter Anthony Perez. The Lions put runners in scoring position in the second and third, but could not capitalize on the opportunities.
VU managed three hits off Perez through the first four innings but emerged scoreless. That spelled doom for McDonald in the bottom half of the fourth, although the inning started auspiciously with his fifth strikeout of the game.
Iranon homered for the third straight game to put the Warriors up 1-0. Cole Hazel and Jack Grant followed with singles, and an error by the VU right fielder allowed both runners to advance a base. Jessup leadoff hitter Quinton Hall followed with a three-run blast to increase the lead to 4-0, ending McDonald's outing.
The Lions cut the lead in half in the fifth with a pair of runs thanks to an RBI single from Fred Buckson and an RBI groundout by Diaz.
Jessup extended its lead to 5-2 on a Furrey RBI single in the sixth. The Lions got that run back in the seventh on a sac fly from Chris Brown, but Jessup pulled away with three eighth inning runs.
Connor Culp had an RBI single and James Williams III drove in a pair with a base hit to right center as VU reliever Pablo Small allowed all three runs.
The Lions had runners in scoring position in the sixth and eighth innings but came up empty.
McDonald took the loss to fall to 3-2, surrendering six hits and four runs in 3.1 innings. The right-hander walked three and struck out five. Perez earned the win to improve to 5-3. He fanned seven in 5.0 innings. Nolan Thebiay picked up his fifth save of the season.
Game 2 – #7 Jessup 8, Vanguard 3
Vanguard led for just the second time in the series after scoring twice in the first. Vultaggio and Buckson started out with singles, with both runners advancing a base on the throw. Diaz's RBI groundout brought in Vultaggio, and Payne's infield single scored Buckson.
The Warriors countered with two runs in the bottom half off VU starter Jake Hiner. Furrey doubled with one out and came home on Culp's base knock. Culp advanced to second on a wild pitch and scrambled home on Bryce Petrilla's RBI single up the middle.
The Lions retook the lead with a run in the third as Payne slammed his second home run of the season over the left field fence.
Hiner benefited from a caught stealing in the first, a double play in the second, and another caught stealing in the third to keep the Warriors at bay.
However, he ran into trouble in the fourth as Culp and Petrilla began the inning with singles. Iranon followed with an RBI double to tie the score at 3-3.
Iranon wore out VU pitching in the series, going 4-for-12 with three home runs, a double and nine RBI.
Jase Schueller replaced Hiner following Iranon's hit, and pinch runner Dominic Ott scored on Grant's sac fly. Jesus Munguia was then summoned to face pinch hitter Williams III, and a single scored Iranon.
All five Jessup runs were charged to Hiner, who gave up eight hits in three-plus innings. He did not allow a walk and struck out three.
Jessup scored three more runs in the fifth on two walks, a single, an error and two sacrifice flies.
The Lions could not muster any offense off Warrior reliever Mason Azevedo, who tossed 3.0 innings of one-hit scoreless ball. Ryan Stone tossed a scoreless seventh for the Warriors.
Azevedo got the win to move to 2-0, while Hiner dropped to 2-2.
Why Is It Important?: Despite getting swept, the Lions ended up in a decent spot in the GSAC standings following Hope International's sweep of The Master's. The Lions lead the Mustangs by two games for the fifth and final spot in the GSAC Tournament.
What's Next?: A huge GSAC series looms next weekend as Vanguard and The Master's tangle for three games. The Lions play at TMU on Friday, and the Mustangs visit Dean Harvey Field for a doubleheader on Saturday.
