AZUSA, Calif. -- The Vanguard baseball squad played a single game against Azusa Pacific today in the first of four games between the schools that will not be played in a normal sequence. The Pacific West Conference showdown went to APU Wednesday night, as the Cougars won 5-2, taking hosts to 5-11 overall and 3-4 in conference action. Vanguard fell to 4-11, 1-8.
What Happened? The Cougars got on the board in the bottom of the first by using the big shot, as the first APU hitter launched a homer to right-center, and a three-run blast three batters later made it 4-0.
Dylan Henson held Azusa Pacific off the board after that, though he only got 1.1 innings of work done. The Lions began to rotate pitchers after that, with only
Mitch Hunter working beyond one frame.
A
Joshua Sur single in the top of the third was the first hit for the Blue and Gold, but the wait for a run stretched until the top of the fifth. Sur smacked his second single of the night to start off the frame, and walks to
Tyler Shigenaka and
Jaxson Davis loaded the bases. An error by the APU pitcher brought Sur home, but a pitching change worked nicely for the Cougars, who got out of a bases-loaded jam with two quick outs.
A hit batter and two singles by APU reestablished a four-run edge for the hosts in the bottom of the sixth, and the 5-1 lead remained until the top of the ninth. Again, it was Sur who did the damage, as he mashed a home run to left field to cut the gap to 5-2, but the Cougars got the final two outs to take the win.
The Lions had five hits, one error, and nine runners left on base in the contest, while APU had six hits, one error, and six runners left aboard. Sur had three of the five Vanguard hits, with
Angel Perez and Shigenaka netting the other two. Henson took the defeat, dropping to 0-3, while
Shamir Marshall and
Daniel Rivera each had a strikeout for the Blue and Gold.
What's Next? A jaunt down to San Diego, as VU squares off against Point Loma on Saturday for an 11:00 a.m. doubleheader, with the return half of the series slated for Monday. The APU series resumes with a single game on March 24.
