COSTA MESA -- Vanguard baseball was hanging tough with Hawaii Pacific in the final Pacific West Conference game of the series between the two teams on Saturday, with match tied at 5-5 after the sixth inning. However, the top of the seventh proved to be an inning to flush from the memory, as HPU put up 10 runs to win 15-5. VU dropped to 12-30 overall and 9-27 in PacWest action, while the Sharks improved to 23-18, 21-14.
What Happened? The scoring started in the top of the second, as a couple of singles and a sacrifice bunt put
Jake Hiner and company down 1-0. But the Lions responded in the bottom half, as
Joshua Sur opened the stanza with a single. A single by
Angel Perez and a groundout by
Brian Paymard helped bring Sur home, knotting the game at 1-1.
A home run in the third put Hawaii Pacific ahead 2-1, but VU flipped into a 3-2 lead in the fourth.
Tristan Gallegos started the rally with a single, and Sur got his second single of the day right after that. A sacrifice fly by Perez and a single for Paymard scored those two to put the Lions ahead, though a double for the Sharks in the fifth with the bases loaded scored all three runners.
Down 5-3, singles by
Jaxson Davis and Gallegos in the sixth were followed by a Sur triple to tie things at 5-5. But 10 runs on eight hits led to HPU taking the win two innings early.
The Sharks had 15 runs on 15 hits, one error, and nine runners left on base. VU had nine hits, three errors, and three runners left aboard. Gallegos went 2-for-3 and Sur 3-for-3, while Sur and Paymard tied with two RBI. Hiner punched out three, and
Tyler Prystajko dropped to 0-2.
What's Next? The Lions host Biola for a noon doubleheader next Saturday, with the Senior Day ceremony taking place at the end of the DH. The Lions play at BU on Friday.
