FRESNO, Calif. -- Vanguard baseball began its final Pacific West Conference series on Friday at Fresno Pacific and the Sunbirds took both contests. FPU scored nine runs in each game and won 9-2 and 9-3, improving to 30-24 overall and 25-17 in PacWest play, shoving the side into third in the standings. VU dropped to 12-36, 9-33.
What Happened? Though the Blue and Gold got a walk by
Tristan Gallegos in the first, it would be FPU to strike first in the bottom half. A pair of singles and a VU error did the initial deed, as the hosts led 2-0 after one and then 3-0 after the second.
The Vanguard squad scored one run in the fourth, as Gallegos led off with his second walk of the game. A double down the left-field line by
Joshua Sur put the pair at second and third, and after
Angel Perez reached on a fielder's choice to load the bases,
Tyler Shigenaka was hit by a pitch to put the score at 3-1.
Later on in the seventh,
James Derflinger singled to start the period, and he soon stole second base. A double by Gallegos brought him around for the second and final tally of the day for VU, which had two runs on five hits, one error, and nine runners left on base. FPU scored nine runs on 11 hits, leaving 10 runners aboard.
Shamir Marshall got the start and went just shy of four innings, giving up four earned runs.
Trevor Steele and
Dylan Scott followed, with each picking up one K, and
Khoi Anderson came in for the final interval of the game. Gallegos reached base all four times he came to the plate with two walks, a single, and a double. Sur, Perez, and Derflinger had the other VU hits.
Game 2
Tyler Prystajko got the ball for game two but saw the Sunbirds score first, as a grand slam quickly made the gap 4-0.
Seth Wrightstone got the final two outs of the first and had a clean second, with the Lions finding a response in the third.
Dash Lopez had a leadoff single, and he eventually scored on a two-out triple by Shigenaka.
However, the long ball did the damage for the home side in the fourth, as after a single scored a leadoff double, a three-run blast made it 8-1, with a solo shot in the sixth putting the Sunbirds ahead 9-2. That came after a
Bennett Vondrak single made it 8-2, as he batted home Gallegos, who had started the frame with a single. Lopez scored his second run of the night in the seventh after starting the frame with a double, with a
Chase Easter-Hairston single bringing him to the plate.
Each side had eight hits and five runners left on base in the nightcap. Lopez's two hits lead VU, though Titus Wheelock of FPU went 4-for-4 with eight RBI on a hat trick of home runs, giving him four in total on the day. Prystajko only recorded one out and dropped to 0-4. Wrightstone punched out four, and
Jesus Barreto had three in one inning of relief.
What's Next? The Lions conclude the season tomorrow with a noon doubleheader.
