IRVINE, Calif. -- The Golden State Athletic Conference Softball Tournament trophy will stay with Vanguard after a 2-1 victory against Hope International today.  Amarah Farley scored both runs off of HIU errors and Brianna Williams outdueled Allie Puente for a second consecutive day to secure an NAIA National Tournament berth for the Blue and Gold.  The Lions, minted as the #19 team in the NAIA earlier today, are now 40-11, the 10th time in program history that a team has won 40 or more games.  HIU, now #23, falls to 35-15 and will need an at-large bid to go to the NAIA dance. 
 
What Happened?  Williams set down the Royals in the top of the first and Farley led off the bottom half of the frame.  She flipped a ball into left field but as the HIU fielder came in to make the catch, the ball hit off her glove.  The center fielder had already zipped behind her to back her up and the ball rolled away from both of them, going all the way to the fence in the process.  Farley kept running and came all the way around to score on the error, putting VU up 1-0. 
 
Williams cruised through the second and though the Royals got a two-out single and a walk in the top of the third, the VU ace struck out the next batter to retire the side.  HIU got two singles in the top of the fourth, but a ground ball allowed the Lions to escape the situation.
 
VU got a pair of runners aboard in the bottom of the fourth, as Marissa Gurrola took a walk and Ashley Klopfenstein slapped a two-out single to left.  However, Puente got the next out to keep the score close.
 
That allowed Hope International to tie the contest in the top of the fifth, as the leadoff hitter clobbered a double to center field.  A sacrifice bunt and a sacrifice fly brought the runner home, leveling proceedings at 1-1.  The two teams could not get much going after that, as the pitching and defense kept the bats at bay.  A diving catch by Noni Chaves in the top of the sixth helped VU to bring things to the bottom of the seventh with the score still tied.
 
Puente got the first two outs of the inning, which brought Farley to the plate.  She launched a ball to right field that was an easy single, but once again, the HIU fielder made a mistake, as the ball rolled under her glove to the fence.  Head Coach Sydney Lahners frantically waved Farley around second and on to home, and she slid in safely before the throw arrived to score the winning run.  After scoring the first and final run in the game, Farley jumped up to find her teammates mobbing her around the plate as the celebrations commenced.
 
The Lions had two runs on four hits and left seven runners on base.  HIU had one run, five hits, three errors, and stranded five runners.  Williams had three strikeouts and 91 pitches on the day to win her third straight game, improving to 20-5.  The defense was again sharp for the Blue and Gold and Farley, Klopfenstein, Chaves, and Bianca Morales each had one hit.
 
Why is it Important?  The Lions are 6-1 at the GSAC Tournament over the past two years and pick up the third GSAC Tournament title this academic year, which is the sixth GSAC title in total for Vanguard in 2023-24.  The Lions passed the century mark in the all-time series, as VU goes to 101-37 against HIU.  It was the second year in a row that the two programs met in the Tournament final.
 
What was Said?  Coach Lahners said after the celebrations, "I'm so proud of our team.  There is no better feeling than back-to-back championships.  It took every single person in this program to make this happen and we are just getting started!"
 
"All glory to God, we won half the battle when He defeated death on the cross," said Chaves.  "Our motto all year has been 'Compete to Glorify' and we did exactly that.  I'm so proud of this group and can't wait to end our season with a bang.  We're not done yet!"

"As a senior and this being our last year in the GSAC, losing was not an option and I think we proved that.  Next stop, opening round," relayed Morales.
 
What's Next?  The Blue and Gold will now discover their fate at the NAIA the selection show to find out which of the Opening Round sites, which were revealed here earlier today, they will be sent to.  The video will be made live around 2:00 p.m. Pacific Time on Tuesday, May 7, on the NAIA Youtube Home Page.