AZUSA, Calif. -- The Vanguard softball team played the final event of the 2024-25 academic year on Saturday, as some rain pushed the doubleheader against Azusa Pacific back two hours. Though the Lions tried to upset the Cougars for the second-straight day, APU used some home cooking to win 5-0 and 9-3. Vanguard ends the season with a 22-30 record and a 17-19 Pacific West Conference mark. APU solidified its spot in the PacWest Tournament and will be the fourth seed with a 29-20 overall record and a 23-13 conference performance.
What Happened? Game one saw the Blue and Gold struggle from the plate, for while the team did not commit an error, the Lions found only two hits and three walks during the game. VU did have a couple of chances to pounce, with the first coming in the top of the fourth.
Kamryn Walker led off with a bunt single and got to second on the play because of an APU throwing error. Walker got to third but ended up being stranded there. Then in the top of the fifth,
Adrianna Natividad got a single and got to second, but the Lions could not poke her home. Vanguard got a couple runners on in the top of the seventh but the APU defense held the fort to secure a win.
Brianna Williams got her final career start, but a home run in the bottom of the first put the Cougars aboard and they did not look back. Williams fanned two in six innings, but the Cougars used eight hits, including another home run, to take the 5-0 win. Williams ends the season with a 10-14 record.
VU 3 APU 9
APU put two runs on the board in the bottom of the first against
LeeAnne Miranda, with a couple of singles doing the damage. The Lions doggedly put a run up in the top of the second as
Gaby Ramirez led off with a double down the left-field line.
Aeri Corral hit a grounder, and though Ramirez was thrown out at home, a walk to Natividad quickly put two aboard with two outs.
Marissa Gurrola then slapped a single through the left side of the infield to bring in Corral and cut the deficit to 2-1, putting some excitement back in the VU dugout.
Vanguard tied the contest in the top of the third, as
Mia Hernandez took a one-out walk and eventually scored on an APU error caused by a grounder by Ramirez. Unfortunately, that was the final time the game was close, as APU registered six runs on seven hits in the bottom of the third to put things away.
The final Vanguard run of the year came in the top of the fifth, opened by an
Amarah Farley walk. Ramirez slammed her second double of the day into center field to make the score 8-3, though an APU double in the bottom half made it 9-3.
The Lions scored three runs on five hits, had one error, and left six runners on base. APU had nine runs on 15 hits, one error, and nine runners left aboard. Miranda ends the season with a 6-6 record and went two innings.
Mia Iacomini went the final six and had one K. It was the first game in Ramirez's career with two doubles in a game and she set a career-best 11 hits in a season.
All of the seniors that were celebrated yesterday, Miranda, Williams, Gurrola, Natividad, Corral,
Kaylee DeMaio, Ramirez, Hernandez, Farley, and
Emma Noble, all had their final gamedays today.
