COSTA MESA -- Opening day for Vanguard baseball concluded with a smart rally of three runs in the bottom of the sixth to garner a 7-5 win over the Saints of Saint Martin's University. VU used some small-ball to put up seven runs over four innings, canceling out the four runs the Saints tagged on in the top of the first. The Lions go to 1-0, while SMU dropped to 0-1.
What Happened? Caden Byers was the opening day starter, but his return to the Dean Harvey Field was spoiled by those four runs by SMU. The Saints had a walk and four singles to leap ahead 4-0 after half an inning, and Byers had to wait until the third for some help from the offense.
Evan Avitia took a leadoff walk in the third, and
Tyler Shigenaka placed a single to left to put two aboard.
Jaxson Davis executed a sacrifice bunt to push the duo ahead a base, and a walk to
Tristan Gallegos loaded up the bases.
Angel Perez then drove in two with a solid single to center, while
James Derflinger pocketed his first VU RBI with a single to left, cutting the score to 4-3 at the end of three innings.
Byers did not give up a hit over the next two frames, which allowed the Lions to tie the game in the bottom of the fifth. Gallegos reached on a fielder's choice and got to second on a wild pitch.
Colton Perez then mashed a double to the right-field corner, scoring Gallegos, though Perez got thrown out trying to stretch the knock into a triple.
Christopher Ceballos replaced Byers in the top of the sixth, and a pair of singles, combined with a balk, put SMU ahead 5-4. But the scoreboard flipped for the final time in the bottom of the sixth.
Nathan Hellein poked a single to center, and
Joshua Sur rocketed a triple to the right-center gap, equalizing the game at 5-5. An Avitia single brought home Sur, and back-to-back singles by Shigenaka and Davis got Avitia home to put the Blue and Gold ahead 7-5.
Tyler Prystajko went the final three frames for the Lions, and though he walked two batters, the Saints could not get a hit off of him. With one out and a runner at first, Prystajko fanned the hitter (one of his four Ks), and
Angel Perez threw out the Saint runner to end the game.
The Lions had seven runs on 12 hits and eight runners left on base, while SMU had five runs on seven hits while also stranding eight runners. Ceballos picked up the win and Prystajko notched his first save. Shigenaka, Davis,
Angel Perez, and Derflinger all had two hits, with
Angel Perez leading the lineup with two RBI.
What was Said? "Great team effort all around," said Head Coach
Rob Pegg. "Credit to [Caden] Byers for weathering an unlucky first inning and still going five strong. We got contributions from one-to-nine from the lineup offensively, and TP had a fantastic save in his VU debut!"
What's Next? The Lions return for a 10:00 a.m. doubleheader tomorrow morning.
