By Ron Smith
March 30, 2019
 
(FULLERTON, Calif.) Westmont Baseball (24-9) split a doubleheader with Hope International on Saturday, as the Royals took three games out of the four-game series. Westmont, ranked at number three in the NAIA, won the first game 6-4 then fell 8-4 in the second.
 
Justin Sanders (5-1) started for the Warriors in game one and was awarded the win. He pitched five innings, allowing four runs on six hits. He struck out nine and walked four.
 
Kody McLain pitched the final four innings to earn a save. The right-handed reliever allowed just two hits, struck out two and walked one.
 
A lead-off double by Taylor Garcia led to a first-inning run for the Warriors and an early advantage. Garcia reached third on a sacrifice bunt by Tyler Roper before being driven home by Bryce Morison's singled to center.
 
In the bottom half of the inning, the Royals' William Aguillar blasted a three-run home run to left to give Hope International a 3-1 advantage.
 
The Warriors took the lead in the fourth inning after Nick Sablock provided a lead-off double and took third on a wild pitch. Isaiah Leach delivered an RBI single to right to score Sablock. Kyle Soria, serving as the designated hitter, was hit by a pitch before Tyler Bush laid down a bunt single that loaded the bases with no outs.
 
The Warriors would score twice more in the inning, both courtesy of bases-loaded walks – one to Luke Coffey and another to Roper. Then end results was a 4-3 Warrior lead.
 
In the top of the sixth, it was Coffey who provided a lead-off double – the third of the game for the Warriors. A sacrifice bunt by Alex Stufft moved Coffey to third. One out later, Roper singled to center to bring Coffey home and give Westmont a 5-3 lead.
 
In the bottom half of the sixth, the Royals produced back-to-back singles by JJ Battagglia and Gianni Castillo. After Battagglia and Castillo advanced a base each on a wild pitch, Kody McLain was summoned from the bull pen to replace Sanders on the hill.
 
Nolan Kraemer's fly out to right field allowed Battagglia to score from third after tagging up and Castillo to advance to third. With the Warrior infield playing up, Juan Gonzalez hit a ground ball to Bush at short. Bush fielded the ball and threw to Roper at home. Roper applied the tag to Castillo for the second out of the inning, preventing the tying run from scoring.
 
Hope International coach Erich Pfohl objected to the call, contending that Roper failed to give Castillo a lane to home plate. After failing to receive any satisfaction from the umpires, Pfohl notified the officials that he wished to play the remainder of the game under protest.
 
The Royals did not score again in the game, but Westmont added a run in the top of the eighth. With one away, Roper singled down the right field line and was replaced at first by courtesy runner Paul Mezurashi. A ground out by Morison advanced Mezurashi to second before Sablock was walked intentionally. That brought up Leach who singled to center field to drive in Mezurashi.
 
In the second game, Hope International scored twice in the second inning to take an early lead. Westmont pulled to within one on an RBI-single by Morison that drove in Mezurashi. The score remained close until the Royals put up four runs in the bottom of the fourth.
 
Three runs in the top of the sixth brought the Warriors to within two (6-4), the result of back-to-back home runs by Sablock and pinch hitter Daniel Netz. However, Hope added two more in the bottom half of the sixth to give the Royals a four run lead and account for the final score.
 
Sablock, who made his first start in a Warrior uniform, was tabbed with the loss after giving up two runs on three hits in three innings of work. Sablock struck out seven and did not allow a run.
 
Next weekend, Westmont will travel south to take on San Diego Christian in another four-game Golden State Athletic Conference series.