By Ron Smith
April 25, 2019
 
(PHOENIX) Westmont Baseball (33-12, 20-12 GSAC) ended the 2019 regular season by splitting a doubleheader with the Firestorm of Arizona Christian (38-17, 22-10) at Firestorm Field. The Warriors dropped the first game 7-3, then pounded out 17 hits in the second game to win 16-3.
 
As a result, Westmont has secured a berth in next week's Golden State Athletic Conference championship and will enter the five team, double-elimination tournament as the number four seed. The Warriors will take on fifth-seeded The Master's (32-15-1, 20-12) in the first game, which is scheduled for an 11:00 a.m. start.
 
William Jessup (24-8, 34-10) will be the tournament's top seed and will take on the Warrior-Mustang winner in the third game of the tournament, which is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. on Monday
 
The second game of the tournament, which will feature second-seeded Arizona Christian and third-seeded Hope International (27-18, 21-11), is set for a 2:30 p.m. start time. The loser between The Master's and Westmont will take on the loser of the Arizona Christian-Hope International match-up on Tuesday.
 
The Warriors struck first in the first game today when Isaiah Leach singled up the middle to drive in Bryce Morison from second base. However, the Firestorm responded in the bottom half of the opening frame on Michael Diffley's single up the middle that drove in Brent Smith and Robert Bostedt to take a 2-1 lead.
 
The Firestorm added a third run in the second inning on a sacrifice fly by Diffley that scored Christian Maggi. Then in the fifth, Arizona Christian scored again when an attempted double play by the Warriors went awry, resulting in a 4-1 game.
 
Westmont pulled within two in the top of the six inning when Taylor Garcia singled up the middle to drive in Austin Muller. In the seventh, Westmont made it a 4-3 game when Leach produced a single that drove in Luke Coffey.
 
In the four-game series, Garcia went six for 10 at the plate with two runs score, an RBI, two walks and a hit-by-pitch. Leach was six of 12 with seven RBIs, a walk and a hit-by-pitch. In the two games yesterday, Leach hit for the cycle with a double and a single in the first game and a home run and a triple in the second.
 
Arizona Christian took back a run in the bottom of the seventh on an RBI-single by Jake Sim that scored Diffley. The Firestorm added two more runs in the bottom of the eighth on a two-RBI single to right center by Bostedt that drove in Bryan Levine and Ty Isbell.
 
Starter Justin Sanders took the loss for the Warriors, just his second of the season against seven wins. He allowed five runs (four earned) on 10 hits, struck out three and walked two.
 
In the second game, Westmont put up five runs in the top of the first and never looked back. Nick Sablock delivered a three-run home run down the right field line and Taylor Bush drove the ball over the left field fence for a two-run home run.
 
The score remained 5-0 until the top of the fourth when Jeremiah Canada doubled down the left field line to drive in Muller and Paul Mezurashi. Canada later scored on a single to left by Zack Mendez. In the bottom half of the inning, the Firestorm scored on an RBI-single by Matt Asta that drove in Cohen Heckethorn. Levine also scored on the play, due to a throwing error.
 
Westmont restored its eight-run lead in the top of the fifth on a two-run blast by Chad Jones over the left field fence.
 
In the sixth inning, Westmont put up another five spot. To take a 15-2 lead. The first run came on a bases-loaded ground out by Lucas Still that drove in Andrew Bayard. After Jones walked to reload the bases, Canada  scored on a wild pitch. Daniel Netz was hit by a pitch to reload the bases before Mezurashi walked to bring home Dante Poleselli. A two-RBI single by Muller drove in Jones and Netz to account for the innings fourth and fifth runs.
 
The Firestorm scored their third run in the bottom of the sixth, this time on a sacrifice fly by Levine.
 
The final run of the game came in the top of the seventh. With Mendez on first courtesy of a walk, Kyle Soria doubled to left field to give the Warrior men on second and third with no outs. One out later, Jones grounded out to third but in the process drove in Mendez.
 
Will Anderson started the game and pitched three scoreless innings. He allowed three hits, struck out one and did not surrender a walk. Toby Dunlap pitched the fourth and fifth and was awarded the win. He gave up two runs (one earned) on one hit. Sean Coyne pitched the sixth inning surrendering one run on one hit. Sablock closed out the game in the scoreless seventh, giving up on hit and striking out two.
 
The GSAC Tournament will take place Monday through Thursday next week at the Orange County Great Park in Irvine.