SAN RAFAEL, Calif. -- The final Vanguard softball games of 2026 went to the Penguins of Dominican University of California on Saturday, as VU ended the Bay Area trip at 0-4. The Penguins won 6-3 and 6-1 to complete the sweep of the Pacific West Conference makeup series and improve to 26-24 overall and 19-15 in PacWest games, while VU ends the year at 21-34, 14-22.
What Happened? The Blue and Gold mined two runs to begin the first contest, with a
Kamryn Walker triple to right field giving VU a great two-out opportunity. After
Kayla Rodriguez took a walk,
Preslee Brower stroked a single to center field to bring in Walker, and
Adriana Portillo followed that up with her own base knock to cash in Rodriguez.
Mari Ipatzi had two clean frames, but DUC roared back with a two-run homer to right field with one out in the bottom of the third to knot the game at 2-all.
Dominican grabbed a temporary lead in the fifth, as a double with an error and a sacrifice bunt made it 3-2, but Brower started a scoring movement for VU in the sixth. She slammed a leadoff double to right-center field, and two sacrifice hits brought her home to make it 3-3. But while Vanguard had plenty of energy, the Penguins used some home cooking in the bottom half to net three runs on four hits to secure a 6-3 victory.
VU had nine hits, two errors, and four runners left on base, while DUC had seven hits and three runners left on the base paths. Ipatzi dropped to 9-9 and finished her final collegiate start with two strikeouts and five walks while tossing 107 pitches. Nayellys Torres-Gonzalez got the win for DUC in relief. Walker, Brower, and Portillo each had two hits to pace the Vanguard lineup.
Game 2
The hosts led from start to finish in the twin bill, placing 12 hits and six runs on the board against
Vanessa Robles, who completed her collegiate career with five earned runs and one K. A three-run home run in the first gave the Penguins the lead, with RBI singles in the third and sixth giving DUC six runs.
Vanguard scored in the top of the fifth after
Megan Ireland led off with a single, with a sacrifice bunt getting her to second. Walker then poked a single back into center field to bring Ireland home for the team's lone run. Six different players had hits for the Lions, who also had one error and six runners left on base. DUC had 10 runners left on base. Robles dropped to 3-11.
What was Said? "I appreciate everything the seniors gave us, and we're excited for what's in store for the future," relayed Head Coach
Nicole Thomas.
Robles, Ireland,
Andrea Connor,
Bella Bastien, and Ipatzi all completed their final collegiate games today.
