The Saint Martin’s baseball team picked up its first victory of the season while splitting a doubleheader against Vanguard in Costa Mesa, California, on Saturday, Jan. 31. The Saints picked up the 10-6 victory in the first game, while falling 8-1 in the nightcap to the Lions.
In the front end of the doubleheader, the Saints jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the second thanks to a two-run triple by Bransyn Hong and an RBI single by Carson Dunn. Vanguard cut the lead to 3-1 in the bottom of the inning, and that’s how the score remained for the next three stanzas.
Saint Martin’s scored another run in the top of the sixth off an RBI by Zen Staszkow, but Vanguard kept pace with a solo home run in the bottom of the inning, making it 4-2.
In the top of the eighth, Dunn drove in two more runs with a triple, then scored on an error. Staszkow scored on a passed ball to push the Saints' lead to 8-2. Vanguard put on the rally caps at the bottom of the frame, scoring four runs to make it 8-6.
The Saints scored on a wild pitch with the bases loaded, and Hong hit a sacrifice fly to push the score to 10-6. Pitcher Bryson Nakamoto pitched a scoreless final inning, with a double play securing the victory.
Dunn finished the first game 3 for 6 with three RBI and one run, while Hong was 2 for 4 with three RBI and three runs. On the mound, Blaze Wong pitched 5.1 innings while striking out three and allowing two runs off four hits. Nakamoto picked up the save.
In the second game, things started slowly with three scoreless innings. A wild pitch in the fourth gave Saint Martin’s a 1-0 lead, but the Lions took the 2-1 lead in the bottom of the frame. A grand slam by Vanguard in the fifth broke the game open to 6-1, and the Lions added two more runs before the game was concluded in seven innings.
Peter Hollabaugh went 2 for 3 in the game. Saint Martin’s was held to four total hits in the matchup.
The Saints (1-2) will now travel to Hawaii to face Chaminade and Hawaii Pacific from Feb. 6 through Feb. 8.
