It was great day for baseball at Russ Carr Field on Saturday as Westmont hosted conference-leading Vanguard in a Golden State Athletic Conference doubleheader. The two teams treated the fans to an enjoyable afternoon of quality baseball and each walked away with a win. The Warriors (8-16, 4-10 GSAC) took the first game 10-8 while the Lions (22-5, 13-3 GSAC) claimed the second 8-6.
“I hope you guys taped those games because you could sell those DVDs,” said Vanguard Head Coach Ralph Grajeda, referring to the quality of play.
“I thought our guys competed really well,” said Westmont Head Coach Robert Ruiz. “Our goal is to be competitive and not give into the score whether we are up or down – to play the game hard and the right way. Our guys did that today.”
The Warriors wasted no time showing that they had come to play. After giving up one run in the top of the first inning, Westmont put a four spot up on the scoreboard in the bottom half of the first.
Center fielder Terrell Wong was hit by a pitch and shortstop Jordan Bottenfield was walked before designated hitter Tim Leary strode into the batters box. Leary launched the ball 420 feet over the centerfield fence to put the Warriors up 3-1. Right fielder Coby Cress provided the encore with a solo blast over the right field fence; giving Westmont a 4-1 advantage.
“Giving up the first run in the first inning and then coming back and scoring four – that gives our pitching staff tons of confidence and allows them to go out and do their job,” said Bottenfield. “It’s a team effort. As hitters, we are trying to get as many runs as we can to help the pitching staff win. We are all just working together.”
In the bottom of the second, left fielder Charles Whitman executed a drag bunt with one away and reached third when Wong singled down the left field line. One out later, Leary was walked to load the bases. Cress stepped to the plate again and he too received a free pass to first base, which forced in Whitman for the Warriors fifth run.
The fourth inning would see the Warriors score three more times to take an 8-1 lead.
“The thing I am most encouraged about is seeing the team continue to put runs up in multiple innings,” said Ruiz. “That tells me we are staying focused as an offense – not paying attention to the score but paying attention to a hitting plan and staying aggressive when we need to stay aggressive.”
After Wong reached on a Lion’s throwing error, Bottenfield – four for eight on the day with three runs and two RBIs – produced an infield single. Leary – three for six with four RBIs and two runs – followed with a single to left which loaded the bases for Cress. Cress – five for eight with five RBIs and one run – singled through the right side to drive in Wong and keep the bases full of Warriors.
First baseman Colton Christianson produced the Warriors fourth single in a row to drive in Bottenfield and keep the Warrior threat alive. Catcher Mark Magdaleno was struck by a pitch to increase the Warrior lead to 8-1. That brought up Evan Wadginski whose fly ball to right appeared to drive in Cress on a sacrifice fly. But the Lions appealed with a throw to third and Cress was called out for leaving the base early. Another fly ball to right brought an end to the inning.
The Lions put up three runs in the top of the fifth inning on a sacrifice fly by Brandon Pesante and a two-run homerun by Jacob Wood. Westmont scored a single run in the bottom of the fifth. After Whitman and Leary received walks, Cress singled down the right field line to drive in Whitman.
In the top of the sixth, the Lions added two runs without getting a hit. The first two batters were hit by a pitch and later scored. Geoff Rocha (1-3), who started the game on the mound for the Warriors and was awarded the win, was relieved by Kyle Noe with two outs. Rocha allowed six runs on six hits, struck out three and walked one.
Noe took over and retired the next seven Lions in a row. Meanwhile the Warriors added a run in the bottom of the six. Second baseman Evan Wadginski singled up the middle with one away and reached third on a single down the left field line by third baseman Chris Ramirez. Whiteman was then hit by a pitch to load the bases. For the second time in the game, Wong was hit by a pitch which allowed Wadginski to score for the Warriors and make it a 10-6 game.
In the top of the ninth, the Lions’ third baseman Keegan Freeman led off with a double to left field. Two outs late, right fielder Jacob Wood was walked and Ruiz opted to bring in closer Pete McCarthy to wrap things up. McCarthy surrendered a double to shortstop Zach Leighton which drove in both Freeman and Wood. However, McCarhy ended the threat and the game by coaxing left fielder Brandon Young to ground out to second.
In the second game, both teams scored a single run in the first inning. The Lions’ score came as the result of a sacrifice fly by center fielder Taylor Leighton, Westmont’s run was the product of an RBI single by Cress which drove in Bottenfield who had also singled.
In the top of the second, first baseman Jason Dovel hit a lead-off double to left center for the Lions and later scored on a single to center by shortstop Zach Leighton.
The Warriors tied the game at two runs apiece with back-to-back doubles by Bottenfield and Leary. In the fourth, Westmont went up 3-2 when Christianson doubled to lead off the inning and Magadaleno singled up the middle to drive in Bottenfield.
However, the Lions put up two runs in the fifth, one in the sixth and one in the seventh to take a 6-3 lead in a game that was scheduled for seven innings. Grajeda called upon his closer, Robert Purpura to finish up the game. Purpura came to the mound with seven saves and an ERA of 0.00 in nine appearances and 9.2 innings of work.
But the Warriors were not done.
“We knew coming into the seventh inning that if we strung a couple together we could make something happen,” said Bottenfield.
Ramirez led off the inning with a walk and then moved to second when Evan Soliman, pinch hitting for Whitman, was hit by a pitch. Whitman then re-entered the game, replacing Soliman on the base pads as Wong stepped to the plate.
Wong sent a single up the middle, driving in Ramirez to make it a 6-4 game. With Bottenfield at bat, Purpura committed a balk. That moved Whitman to third and Wong to second. Two pitches later, Bottenfield drove the ball to left field for a double, driving in both Whitman and Wong to tie the game.
“We had good energy the entire game,” said Bottenfield. “That is what set the tone for that last final push (in the seventh inning). We got on the pitcher a little bit and got him rattled and he left up a fast ball up for me to drive. Luckily, I got some barrel on it.”
With no outs and a runner in scoring position, the Warriors looked in good shape to sweep the doubleheader. Leary was intentionally walked which brought up Cress. Cress, hit a ground ball to the right side of the infield which gave Westmont runners at second and third with one away. That brought up Christianson who was also intentionally walked to load the bases.
Next up for the Warriors was Magdaleno. After working the count to a 2-2 and fouling off a couple of additional pitches, Magdaleno crushed the ball back up the middle of the diamond. Just as Warrior fans were about to erupt in celebration, Pesante, who was playing near the bag, grabbed the hard-hit line drive and stepped on second to end the inning and send the game into extra innings.
“Baseball can become a game of inches and in the second game today that is what it came down to,” said Ruiz. “We were facing a closer that has been lights-out all year. We put some runs across and gave ourselves a chance. If the ball gets through, that’s the ball game.”
As it turned out, the ball game would be decided in the top of the eighth inning on a two-run homerun by Taylor Leighton over the center field fence.
“Today we walk off the field feeling like we just let that one get away from us, or like just a couple of inches made the difference,” said Ruiz. “But there is no question that we left it all on the field. That is what is motivating for our coaching staff and I think the guys on this team. They have proven to everybody that they can go out and compete. That is our goal, to go out and be competitive and play the game the right way. They certainly did that these last four games (against Vanguard).”
“We were really competitive in all four games,” agreed Bottenfield. “It is exciting to be almost there, but we need to keep moving forward, practicing hard and understanding that we are capable of playing with these good teams at the top of our division. The games will start falling our way as long as we stay positive and keep working hard.”
The Warriors next opportunity to compete will be on Wednesday when they travel to Lakeside to take on the Hawks of San Diego Christian in a doubleheader at Stars Field. First pitch is at eleven o’clock.
