SAN DIEGO, Calif. - The San Diego Christian College Hawks gave No. 13 Vanguard all they could handle on day two of their homestand. The Hawks would make a ninth-inning comeback and then finish Vanguard off in the tenth 12-11. Game two of the doubleheader was just as evenly matched but ended with a 1-4 Lion win.
GAME 1
In what had to be one of the most exciting GSAC games all season, San Diego Christian fought tooth and nail with their nationally-ranked opponent and came out victorious.
The Hawks were the first ones to get on the board after starting pitcher, Josh Ross, shut the top of the lineup down. Davin Burroughs smashed a double to right-center to become the game's first baserunner, and Aaron Hoch drove him home with a homer over the fence in the same part of the field. Ryan Lystlund got his first of four hits on the day, stole second, and then scored on a Jake Luther single to center field for a three-run first.
The Lions would produce two runs in the top of the second, but SDCC would answer an inning later to erase them. Aaron Hoch would lead off the inning with a single to center field and the hot-hitting Lystlund would drive him in with a double to left-center. Another Jake Luther single would plate Lystlund soon after.
After a strong start for Ross, Vanguard would put up 4 runs in the top of the fourth with two of the runs coming with two outs after a costly error. The Hawks would erase one of the runs in the bottom half when Jalani Brown was driven home from third on a ground-out by Billy Strohm.
Vanguard would tack on two additional runs in the fifth and one in the seventh before Peyton Berroth scored on a wild pitch to answer for San Diego Christian. Adding two more runs in the top of the ninth, and getting the first two SDCC batters out in the bottom, Vanguard thought they had all but clinched.
The Hawks would not roll over, however.
Ryan Lystlund would pump up his team and the large crowd with a two-out triple to left field. Jake Luther would drive Lystlund home once again with a double down the left-field line and the comeback was on.
Designated hitter, Cade Cabral would immediately plate Luther with a single to center to cut the VU lead to two, and Jalani Brown's single to left field would put the tying run on base forcing the Vanguard manager to bring in his closer.
The VU closer would immediately walk Billy Strohm on four straight pitches to load the bases, giving senior slugger, Johnny Radomskiy, an attempt to prolong the game.
Radomskiy would deliver. Down to his last strike, Radomskiy smashed a single right back up the middle, plating the speedy Tre Pankratz and Jalani Brown to tie the ballgame and force extra innings.
Hawks reliever, Trevor Baker, would keep the SDCC momentum going in the tenth with a 1,2,3 inning that included two strikeouts and a harmless groundout, setting the stage for a dramatic finish.
Vanguard would stick with their closer who was still reeling from giving up the tying runs an inning before. Aaron Hoch would take advantage, drawing a leadoff walk. Coach Schroeder would send in Elisha Page to run for Hoch and he would immediately take second on a wild pitch. Not giving anything to slugger Alec Arnone to hit, VU would walk and be replaced with Paul Marsillo to run.
The Hawks would be right where they wanted to be with the red-hot, Ryan Lystlund coming to the plate. After waiting for Vanguard to make a pitching change, Lystlund would bring the crowd to their feet and clear the Hawks dugout with a hard-hit drive down the right-field line to plate Page and walk off with a 12-11 victory.
GAME 2
The Hawks continued to pressure the Lions in game two. SDCC starter, Luke Gentry pitched 4 strong innings allowing only two runs on 5 hits, 2 walks, and 3 strikeouts. San Diego Christian would virtually match hits with their opponents, but could only create 1 run when Cade Cabral scored on an error after having led off the second with a base hit.
Aaron Hoch (2 for 3) and Ryan Lystlund (1 for 1, 2 BB) would continue their offensive pressure, but the team could not string together the necessary hits to match the 4 VU runs and would have to settle for an exciting split.
UP NEXT
The Hawks continue their GSAC homestand on Friday and Saturday, March 4-5 at San Diego Mesa College against the Arizona Christian Firestorm. Doubleheaders begin at 11 am both days.