LIONS EDGE OUT OAKS TO OPEN SERIES

ATHERTON, Calif. — A three and a half hour contest opened the Golden State Athletic Conference series between Vanguard University and Menlo College. The Pride opens the series on a high note as they emerge victorious from the long afternoon joust, toppling the Oaks with a score of 12-11. Assistant coach Michael Ostrea said he and the rest of the coaching staff are happy with the intensity the Pride brought to Cartan Field. "We were pleased with the fact that guys stay locked in the whole game. We had quality at bats from several guys throughout the game and young guys stepped up today when they needed to." Ostrea noted the team's importance of trusting the process as the regular season winds down. "Right now we are, as a whole, doing things the right way. We want to stick with our process and let the results take care of themselves. We're hoping to make a strong push in these last games of the season to make a statement."

Michael Kashou (SO/Anaheim, CA) opened the game on the mound for the Lions and pitched four full innings. Kashou gave up five hits and five runs, four of which were unearned, and threw six strikeouts. Josh Bailly (SR/Union City, CA) made a brief appearance on the mound and faced two batters before Ryan Daugherty (JR/Laguna Niguel, CA) relieved him in the fifth inning. Daugherty gave up seven hits and four runs, but threw one strikeout. Jared Greer (FR/Anaheim, CA), who picks up the win on the day, faced one batter near the end of the seventh. Alex Camacho (JR/Stockton, CA) earned the save and pitched the final two innings. Camacho faced nine batters, gave up five hits and one run, and tossed one strikeout. Vanguard had a busy day at the plate and logged 13 hits. Chris Rodriguez (JR/Tustin, CA) and Sam Neufeld (JR/Indio, CA) had themselves a day and both went 3-for-5 in the box, and picked up three RBI in the process. Tanner Perry (SR/El Cajon, CA) and Josh Weeks (SO/Murrieta, CA) logged two hits a piece, and each put runs in the books.

Menlo struck first in the bottom of the first inning, capitalizing on an error for the unearned run. The second inning put the Pride on top for the first time in the contest with six runs. Neufeld started things off strong and whacked a solo home run to left field. Kody Wright (JR/Bakersfield, CA) was hit by a pitch before Bryce Wetherell (SR/Chattaroy, WA) came out to pinch run. Luke Nobiensky (FR/Temecula, CA) got the runners moving with a single and Tanner Perry sent Wetherell home with a RBI double to left field. Josh Weeks grounded out to second, but the out came with an advantage for Nobiensky's wheels who moved home. With one out on the board and two free bases, the first in a walk from Shane Elias-Calles (SR/Mission Viejo, CA) and another hit by pitch on Joe Johnson (FR/Medford, OR), Rodriguez took his turn at bat and singled on the third pitch tossed his way and logged a RBI on Perry's run. Neufeld made his second appearance of the inning and singled to deep center for two RBI in Johnson and Elias-Calles. Josh Weeks had a busy defensive second inning in center field, capturing the final two outs to move into the top of the third. Weeks scored the only run for the Lions in the third, taking advantage of an error. Menlo chipped at the Lions lead with a solo home run on their end, and the game moved into the fourth frame with the Pride leading 6-2. Menlo held off the Pride's efforts in the top of the inning and pulled within one run of the Lions in the bottom. Menlo tacked on one more run in the fifth frame on a sac-fly.

A scoreless sixth frame heightened the game's intensity, but Vanguard broke the silence in the seventh. Rodriguez roared the Lions offense back to life with a solo home run, setting the stage for Neufeld to double to left field. Wright hit a RBI single to center, and Neufeld ran home to secure a three-run lead. Menlo fired back with four runs in the bottom of the frame and took hold of the 10-9 lead, but Vanguard was not done yet. Johnson scored on a sac-fly to center hit by Rodriguez, and the offense began to heat up. In the top of the ninth, Weeks singled to right field, providing enough insurance for Grady Conner (SO/Costa Mesa, CA) to significantly beat the throw to home and score the twelfth run of the day. Menlo pulled within one run of the Pride in the bottom of the frame, but a timely double play sealed the deal for Vanguard and heads into tomorrow's doubleheader with a win under their belt.