COSTA MESA – Vanguard baseball wrapped up its PacWest series on Saturday, taking three of four games against visiting Hawaii Hilo.

The Lions and Vulcans resumed Friday's postponed game two in the bottom of the fourth with VU leading 6-3. VU scored six more runs to win 12-3.

In the regularly scheduled Saturday doubleheader, Hawaii Hilo received a complete game effort from Orlando Leon Jr. in a 9-6 victory, but the Lions charged back in the nightcap behind another stellar pitching performance from Chris Paruleski, winning 7-3.

VU has now won six of its last seven games to improve to 14-12 overall and 10-10 in the PacWest. The Vulcans are now 6-15 and 4-12 in conference play.

The Blue and Gold hit four home runs over the three games – two by Fred Buckson and one apiece from Jaxson Davis and Josh Schleichardt. Davis and Schleichardt also collected two doubles apiece. 

Davis finished 4-for-10 with five runs scored and three RBI. He owns a seven-game hitting streak. Schleichardt drove in five runs. Noah Madole went 4-for-9 with four RBI, and Buckson scored six times to go along with three RBI.

Colton Perez and Tyler Shigenaka also had a multi-hit effort on the afternoon.

VU's bullpen was outstanding, as Jacob Morales, Mitch Hunter, Jacob Cuculich and Maxwell Montplaisir combined to throw 11.0 innings with just one run allowed.

In the final game, Paruleski logged six innings with three runs allowed, only one of them earned. He won his second straight start to improve to 3-2.

What Happened?

Vanguard 12, Hawaii Hilo 3 (resumed from Friday's rain-delay)

With the score tied 3-3 heading into the bottom of the fourth, the Lions scored three runs before rain postponed the game with the bases loaded and two outs.

An RBI double from Davis chased UHH starter Ethan Salscheider. Madole drew a bases loaded walk off reliever Kyle Casados and Gallegos was hit by Devin Hayaski to bring in Davis.

The game resumed on Saturday morning as UHH called on Elias Harrington to get the Vulcans out of the jam. Jarred Mazzaferro had other ideas though as he drew one of five walks in the inning for the Lions, forcing in Buckson for the 7-3 lead.

The inning got more messy for the Vulcans as a throwing error by the third baseman allowed two more runs to score. VU completed a seven-run outburst on an Angel Perez RBI single.

VU tacked on a single run in the fifth on Buckson's towering home run to left, and increased the lead to 12-3 in sixth on Shigenaka's RBI base hit.

Jesus Barreto got the win after going four innings in the seven-inning affair. He allowed four hits and three runs with three strikeouts. Jacob Morales threw three effective one-hit relief innings.

Salscheider dropped to 0-4 after yielding six runs in 3.1 innings.

Hawaii Hilo 9, Vanguard 6

The bulk of the scoring occurred over the first three innings as UHH took an 8-5 lead.

Arthur Soto's RBI double gave the Vulcans a 1-0 lead in the first, but Buckson responded by crushing a two-run homer in the bottom half.

The Vulcans answered in the second with a pair of two-run home runs from Kalei Alana and Mason Cook. UHH added an RBI single from Noah Lane for a five-run inning and 6-1 lead.

The Lions pulled within one run at 6-5 as Mazzaferro's single and Schleichardt's double completed a three-run second. 

VU starter Jake Hiner had a tough outing and was pulled in the third following a leadoff walk to Braeden Mondeau and a double from Mark Fedro.

Hunter entered in relief and gave up a single to Alana, who finished the game 3-for-5 with four RBI. Fedro scored on a wild pitch and both runs were charged to Hiner.

The scoring fireworks eventually died down as Hunter retired eight of the next nine Vulcans. Cody Min singled with one out in the sixth, but Hunter got Cook to ground into an inning-ending double play.

VU seemed poised to end Leon's day early after peppering him for the five early runs. But the UHH right-hander settled down, using a variety of off-speed pitches to quiet the Lion bats. He threw six straight scoreless innings from the third to the eighth, recording seven of his eight strikeouts during that span.

Leon surrendered a ninth inning home run to Davis as VU pulled within 9-6, but completed a 134-pitch effort on consecutive fly outs to end the game for his first win of the season.

Hiner took the loss to fall to 2-2, while Hunter tossed a career-high five innings, scattering five hits and allowing just one run. Cuculich tossed a pair of scoreless relief innings as well.

Vanguard 7, Hawaii Hilo 3

Vanguard jumped all over UHH starter Brayden Hiraki as the first three Lions got aboard to start the first inning. Gallegos drove in Davis on a run-scoring groundout, followed by a Madole RBI single. Two straight Lions got hit by a pitch, with Mazzaferro's dose bringing in Schleichardt for a 3-0 Lion lead.

Casados entered for the second time and struck out a pair of Lions to get out of the bases loaded jam.

UHH scored two unearned runs in the second. Mondeau reached on a one-out throwing error. With two outs, Alana's single put runners on the corners. Alana stole second, and Vance Oshiro delivered a two-RBI single to cut VU's lead to 3-2.

Paruleski set down 10 of 11 UHH batters to maintain VU's one-run advantage. 

Xavier Pressley also was effective out of the Vulcan bullpen, putting zeroes up for four consecutive innings.

The Vulcans tied the score in the sixth on Mondeau's RBI single.

But the Lions exploded for four runs in the bottom half. Angel Perez singled and Davis cashed him in with a double to right center. After Buckson got hit by a pitch to put two aboard, Schleichardt turned on a Pressley offering and deposited it well up the netting in left for a three-run bomb.

It ended an otherwise strong outing for Pressley, who allowed five hits, four runs and three walks in 4.1 innings.

Montplaisir finished off the game in the seventh, getting Lane on a strikeout to end the game.

What's Next?: The Lions continue their 14-game homestand, welcoming Menlo to Dean Harvey Field on Wednesday for a noon doubleheader.