COSTA MESA – Vanguard stayed red hot on the Dean Harvey diamond Thursday, defeating Menlo by scores of 9-3 and 3-0 and completing a four-game PacWest baseball sweep.

The Lions have won five straight and 10 of their last 11, moving a season-high six games above .500 at 18-12. VU is 14-10 in PacWest play and sits in fourth place in the 12-team league.

Vanguard blasted three home runs for the second time in the last three games, propelling the Blue and Gold to victory in game one. It was the ninth straight game the Blue and Gold had tallied at least one home run.

The Lions and Oaks engaged in a pitching duel in game two as both teams combined for 12 hits, eight by the visitors. VU used four pitchers – Jacob Morales, Jacob Cuculich, Pablo Small and Maxwell Montplaisir – to combine for the first complete game shutout of the season.

Freshman Colton Perez homered for the third straight game and finished the series 5-for-14 with six runs scored and seven RBI.

Josh Schleichardt took over the team home run lead with his seventh of the season. He has a seven-game hitting streak. Noah Madole also went yard for his third home run. The outfielder has drove in 14 runs over his last nine games.

The Lion bullpen again was masterful, tossing seven scoreless innings across the two contests. Montplaisir notched his fifth save of the season in game two, extending his scoreless innings streak to 12.1.

What Happened?

Game 1 – Vanguard 9, Menlo 3

Vanguard utilized an eight-run fourth inning to erase an early 3-0 deficit. 

Jake Hiner overcame six walks and tossed a career-high 111 pitches to earn the victory. He gave up just three hits over six innings and struck out four to improve to 3-2.

After pitching a clean first inning, Hiner faced a bases loaded jam in the second with one out. He walked Ramone Valenzuela to force in the first run and Jayshaun Wise brought in the second run on a sac fly.

Menlo took a 3-0 lead with a run in the third on a Matt Morrison RBI single.

Oak starter Trey Silva held the Lions scoreless through three innings, but the home side broke through in a huge way in the fourth. The Blue and Gold had four doubles, a triple and two home runs among their eight hits in the frame.

After Levi Hall tripled with one out, Colton Perez hit a towering blast to right field to bring the Lions within 3-2. 

Jaxson Davis and Fred Buckson delivered back-to-back RBI doubles, and Schleichardt roped a Silva pitch that kept curving until it landed inside the left field foul pole for a two-run home run. Leading 6-3, the Lions were not finished as Tristan Gallegos greeted Menlo reliever Wesley Payne with a double down the right field line. Madole followed with an RBI double and Hall's single brought home Madole for the eighth run.

The Oaks put two runners aboard in the sixth, but catcher Christopher Famolaro nailed Jaden Fulsher in an attempted steal of third.

Vanguard increased its lead to 9-3 as Madole led off the seventh with a home run to left.

Christopher Ceballos tossed three innings of scoreless relief to pick up his first save. He got the Oaks to ground into double plays in both the seventh and ninth innings, including on Samuel Brewer to end the game.

Game 2 – Vanguard 3, Menlo 0

Vanguard produced all the scoring it would need with a two-run second inning off Menlo starter Richard Kiel. 

Colton Perez doubled home Gallegos for a 1-0 lead, and Jarred Mazzaferro knocked in the second run.

Jacob Morales got the start for the Blue and Gold and pitched three scoreless innings with just two hits allowed and three strikeouts. He did a tremendous job escaping a no out, bases loaded jam in the third, getting Morrison to line into a double play. With runners on second and third, Braydon Allie lined out to Buckson to end the inning.

Jacob Cuculich pitched two scoreless innings out of the VU bullpen, inducing an inning-ending double play ground ball from Tyler Brazil in the fourth.

Vanguard added an insurance run in the sixth as Schleichardt singled with one out, stole second and came home on Tyler Shigenaka's single. 

Pablo Small threw a scoreless inning in the sixth to set up the save opportunity for Montplaisir, who had to work extra as the Oaks loaded the bases with two outs. But the right-hander struck out Allie to finish off the game. Morales earned the win to improve to 1-1. Kiel took the loss and fell to 1-5.

What's Next?: The Lions take a week off before finishing off their 14-game homestead with a doubleheader against Biola on Friday, March 28. First pitch of game one is scheduled for noon.