COSTA MESA, Calif. – The Corban University baseball team and No. 18-ranked Vanguard University Lions concluded their season-opening four-game series on Saturday. The Lions exploded for 14 runs in the first game of the day, notching a 14-0 triumph. Trailing from the onset in game two, Corban manufactured a couple of promising offensive opportunities as the squad attempted to erase the deficit, but Vanguard held on for a 5-3 victory.  

"I am a strong believer in playing really good teams early to challenge ourselves in every area of the game," said head coach Derek Legg. "Vanguard is a really good team and hopefully this weekend will help us beat some good teams later in the year."

Big innings haunted the Warrior pitching staff in the day's first contest, as Vanguard struck for five runs in the third to take a commanding lead, and then tallied four more runs in the fourth to effectively put the game out of reach.

Miscues played a key role in the pivotal five-run third, as Corban surrendered a walk and a hit-by-pitch to begin the frame, and then a throwing error allowed each of those baserunners to advance into scoring position. The powerful Lion offense then rattled off four hits in the next five batters, taking advantage of the opportunity and permanently shifting the tide of the game.

Vanguard cushioned its lead with four in the fourth, three in the sixth, and another in the eighth, but it was all just added comfort for hurler Tyler Armenta, who allowed just two hits in five scoreless innings on the bump.

Offensively, Reese Fawley (1-for-4), Maxwell Jeffrey (1-for-3, 2B), and Morgan Hostetler (1-for-3) collected hits in the contest.

Zack Simon took the ball for the Warriors in game four, hoping to prevent a series sweep. The Lions had a different idea, scratching one across in the first on a Joe Johnson RBI single. Fawley helped the Navy and Gold draw even in the third, slashing a run-scoring single to right to knot the score at one apiece.

The hometown squad flexed its offensive muscle again in the bottom half of the frame, however, scoring four runs in a big third inning. Johnson was once again at the center of it, hooking an RBI double into the right field corner to spark the rally. Grady Connor then snuck a single down the first-base line to bring another run home, and a Warrior defensive error allowed a pair of unearned runs to cross later in the stanza.

Corban issued a response in the next half inning, when Hostetler hammered a two-out, two-run triple into right center to pull the squad within two.

The Warriors had a prime opportunity to pull closer in the sixth, putting two runners in scoring position with just one out recorded. Vanguard head coach Rob Pegg called upon senior southpaw Matt Lester to escape the jam, which he did masterfully by striking out each of the next two batters he faced.

Corban applied similar pressure in the final frame of the seven-inning contest—putting runners on the corners with two outs—but Liam Neri came in and closed the door to seal the series sweep for the Lions.

The Warriors (0-4) will now look ahead to another road series against a Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC) foe, William Jessup University. The four-game series is scheduled for next Friday and Saturday (February 12-13), with first pitch on Friday slated for 12 p.m.