AZUSA, Calif. -- Returning to Azusa Pacific University tonight, Vanguard baseball was defeated by the Cougars 13-6. VU was close to APU in the hit department, trailing the hosts 14-12 at the end of the game, but the Cougars got seven walks that allowed them to score in bunches. APU improved to 15-18 overall and 13-11 in Pacific West Conference action, while Vanguard dropped to 6-22, 3-19.
What Happened? The Blue and Gold tallied the game's initial run, as
Joshua Sur led off the top of the second with a single. He eventually scored on a double to center field by
Evan Avitia, but the Cougars then tallied four runs in the bottom half, with a bases-loaded single responsible for two of those runs.
The Lions cut into the lead in the fifth, as
Tristan Gallegos smashed his second home run of the season to make it 4-2, and the squad used the long ball once more in the sixth. After Sur started the stanza with a double,
Colton Perez skied his fourth homer of the season to knot the score at 4-4. However, a solo shot for the hosts restored APU to the lead, and the Cougars did not look back. APU scored two runs in the sixth and seventh innings and put the contests out of reach with five runs in the eighth.
Vanguard scored one run in the top of the seventh, as a groundout by
Angel Perez brought home
Tyler Shigenaka, who had led off the frame with a single. It was then Shigenaka who did the damage in the eighth, as he mashed his fourth home run of the campaign to conclude the scoring for VU.
Each side left 10 players on base, while VU had four errors and APU two. The Blue and Gold used seven pitchers, with
Seth Wrightstone taking the loss to fall to 1-5. Despite that, he pocketed six of the staff's 12 strikeouts, the most by the team this year and the second time the squad has fanned 10 or more. It is also the most since the 2024 season, when Vanguard hit 14 twice and set a high of 15 at Redlands on March 5. Shigenaka went 3-for-4 to lead the lineup, while
Colton Perez,
Angel Perez, Sur, and Gallegos each had two hits.
What's Next? The Lions head to Atherton for a PacWest series against the Oaks this Friday.
