COSTA MESA -- Vanguard softball will have two more games on Monday to decide the Pacific West Conference series between the Lions and the Academy of Art Urban Knights after a split on Saturday.  The Lions were in the lead in game one but the Urban Knights stole a 3-2 win.  However, the Blue and Gold pelted ART U in game two for an 8-0 win in six innings to balance on the brace of games.  The Lions are now 9-24 overall and 4-13 in PacWest play, while the Urban Knights are 6-28, 4-15.
 
What Happened?  After Brianna Williams sent the Urban Knights back to the dugout in the top of the first, Kamryn Walker got the scoring started in the first game.  She slapped a single to right, stole second, and got to third on a sacrifice bunt by Lilyana Roth.  Mia Hernandez skied a ball into foul territory down the left-field line and though the catch was made, Walker tagged and scored to put VU up 1-0.  But the advantage as short-lived, as ART U used a couple of singles to put runners on first and third.  The visitors then put both Urban Knights into motion, and though tried to tag one runner out, the base runner on third slid home safely to tie things at 1-1.
 
Yet the Lions made a successful counter in the bottom of the second, as Adriana Portillo drilled a triple into the right-field corner.  Tiffany Pope poked a single back past the pitcher to cash in Portillo and vault VU to a 2-1 edge.
 
Unfortunately, the Urban Knights slipped two runs on the board in the top of the fifth, with a double and a pair of singles bringing in the runs.  Mari Ipatzi replaced Williams to start the sixth frame and held the visitors off the board, giving up only two hits in two innings.  However, ART U's Kayla Vaughan stymied the VU attack over the final three innings, with only a Megan Ireland single interrupting her good form. 
 
Academy of Art scored three runs on 10 hits, left seven runners on base, and had the game's only error.  VU had two runs, six hits, and four runners left on base.  Williams had the only four strikeouts of the game and fell to 4-11.  Vaughan went the distance for ART U and improved to 4-11.  Portillo went 2-for-3 to top the Vanguard chart and Ireland had a hit and a walk.
 
ART U 0 VU 8 After a cleaning opening stanza from LeeAnne Miranda, the Lions gave their game-two starter a lead again in the first inning.  With two outs, Portillo thought she had struck out, but the pitch was ruled illegal.  With another chance, Portillo got a base hit by slashing a ball just out of reach of the ART U second baseman.  Amarah Farley then smashed a ball to right-center field and it beat the glove of the diving center fielder, turning into an RBI triple for Farley.
 
Ahead 1-0, VU got another run in the bottom of the second, with Carson Cooper starting things off with a single up the middle, her second career hit.  A groundout by Aeri Corral got Cooper to second and Ireland batted a single to right field that got Cooper home to double the Vanguard lead.
 
Miranda got some more insurance as a reward for five shutout frames, starting with Portillo reaching on a fielder's choice.  Farley placed a single right past second base to put two aboard and Hernandez then mashed a ball four feet short of a home run to left field, with her towering shot turning into a two-run double.  Pope followed that up by bouncing a single to right field to bring Hernandez home and put the VU advantage at 5-0.
 
Miranda would get three groundouts in the top of the sixth and the Lions would secure the win in the bottom half for her.  Corral singled up the middle to get the rally going and Ireland took a walk to put two on with no outs.  Walker grounded a ball to first but the ART U first baseman could not handle it, with the error loading up the bases for VU.  Roth took a walk  to make it 6-0 and Portillo bashed a single to right-center field to bank two more runs and seal an 8-0 decision. 
 
The Lions scored eight runs on 11 hits with two errors and five runners left on base.  ART U had two errors, two runners left on base, and only one hit.  Miranda's gem puts her at 2-4 on the season and she picked up her first shutout of 2025 with four Ks on 69 pitches.  Kamielle Powell took the loss and dropped to 2-16 for the Urban Knights.  Roth, Portillo, and Farley all had two hits, with Portillo and Hernandez level on two RBI apiece. 

Portillo went 4-for-7 on the day with two RBI.
 
What's Next?  The two teams reengage on Monday for a noon doubleheader to decide the fate of the PacWest series.