By Jimmy Dent
03/13/06
Sea Lions down Vanguard in conference double header
Costa Mesa, Calif – The Lions traveled to San Diego this morning for a very important Golden State Athletic Conference double-header against sixth ranked Point Loma Nazarene University. After a weekend off due to heavy rain, the pride showed up to Carroll B. Land Stadium prepared and ready to play. Unfortunately, excellent pitching by the Point Loma starters and a great offensive showing by Kaohi Downing and Jessie Gill resulted in a double header sweep, 5-0 and 2-1.
Mike Guernsey took the mound for Vanguard in game one going up against Taylor Cameron, the Sea Lions starter. In the top of the first inning, senior Isaac Salazar led off with a double igniting VU’s offense. It didn’t take long for Cameron to quiet Vanguard’s bats retiring the next three hitters and shutting out the pride through seven complete innings.
Point Loma got to Guernsey right out of the starting blocks with a two-run home run over the center field fence, coming off of the bat of Jason Gallegos, giving Pt. Loma an early 2-0 lead. PLNU added another run in the bottom of the second inning, when Downing tripled in Travis Wiley, putting the home team up 3-0. With the VU bats down and out, the Sea Lions added two more runs, one in the bottom of the fourth and the fifth and final run in the bottom of the eighth.
Guernsey was credited with the loss dropping his overall season record to 1-4. The senior hurler threw six complete innings allowing four earned runs on seven hits. Matt Franco relieved Guernsey and finished the ball game delivering two complete innings allowing one run on two hits. Cameron earned the win for Point Loma improving his season record to 5-1. Downing ended the game a home run shy of the cycle, contributing three hits. Vanguard tallied five hits overall in the opening game, all coming from the top five hitters in the line-up.
Game two was a battle from start to finish for both starters, Clay Brown for VU and Matt Tuttle for PLNU. Point Loma got to Brown early in the bottom of the first inning when Downing singled through the left side of the infield for his fourth hit on the day. Gallegos singled Downing to third allowing a sacrifice fly by Robby Jacobson to score Downing, giving the home squad a 1-0 lead.
The Lions got their first and only run of the day in the top of the fifth inning tying the game 1-1 when Joe Candelaria, one of VU’s top hitters coming into the day with a .380 average, ripped an RBI single threw the infield. The game was locked at one, with both starters still battling it out with each other. It took until the bottom of the seventh inning to determine the victor and unfortunately it wasn’t the team wearing the blue and gold. The winning run for Pt. Loma came across the plate after the Sea Lions’ second baseman Kellen Walker reached base on an error by Candelaria at third, scoring on a walk-off double by Gill.
Brown earned the loss for Vanguard dropping his record to 4-2 overall while Point Loma reliever Brad Clipp was credited with the win, throwing one complete inning. VU had a total of three hits in game two and eight on the day. Freshman Derek Craddock had two hits for the Lions, one in each game, while Candelaria delivered the only RBI.
Vanguard drops to 9-11 overall and to 4-8 in conference play. The Lions will try and get back on track as they have a four game home-stand coming up at the end of the week. The pride will begin with a single game against Illinois Institute of Technology on Thursday, March 16th at 2:30 p.m., a single game on Friday, March 17th at 12:00 p.m. against Simpson University and will wrap-up spring break with a GSAC double-header on Saturday, March 18th at 11:00 a.m. against California Baptist University, who is currently ranked #2 in the NAIA.