By Ron Smith
March 9, 2020
 
(SANTA BARBARA, Calif.) For the first time this season, #15 Westmont (18-9, 13-3 GSAC) recorded a four-game series sweep by shutting out the Oaks of Menlo in both games of a doubleheader on Saturday. Westmont took the first game 1-0 before closing out the series with a 5-0 win.
 
Over the course of the series' 32 innings, Westmont surrendered just two earned runs for a weekend ERA of 0.56.
 
Justin Sanders (5-0) earned the win in the first game after allowing just three hits over eight innings of work. Sanders struck out four and walked two. Bailey Reid earned his fourth save of the year, by pitching the ninth.
 
The game's lone run came in the bottom of the third after Taylor Garcia led off the inning with a single to right-center field. Garcia took second when Simon Reid grounded out to second base. After Travis Vander Molen was hit by a pitch, both runners moved up a base on a wild pitch. Lennie Rodriguez drove in Garcia from third with a sacrifice fly to left field.
 
Garcia had an impressive series against the Oaks. He went 9 of 13 (.692 average) at the plate with a double, a triple, three walks and a sacrifice fly. He also had three stolen bases on three attempts. Garcia, who posted an on-base percentage of .706 and a slugging percentage of .923, scored six times and drove in two runs.
 
In the second game, Kody McLain and Ryan Humphreys teamed up for a seven-inning combined shutout. McLain started and pitched three and two-thirds, allowing just one hit. He struck out three and walked three. Humphreys, who earned his first win as a Warrior, pitched three and one-third innings. He also allowed just one hit. Humphreys struck out six and did not allow a walk.
 
Three of Westmont's runs came courtesy of a three-run home run by Devin Perez in the bottom of the third. Garcia had reached first on a single to center, then reached third when Simon Reid doubled to left field. Perez now leads the Golden State Athletic Conference in home runs with nine.
 
Westmont tacked on a single run in the fourth and again in the fifth inning, both on sacrifice flies. In the fourth, Brady Renck drove in Daniel Netz with a fly ball to left. Then in the fifth, Perez drove in Paul Mezurashi with a sacrifice fly to right.
 
With 16 conference games in the books, the Warriors are now halfway through the GSAC season and sit atop the GSAC standings with a two-game lead over Vanguard (21-6, 9-3). The Warriors and Lions meet up next weekend for a four-game series in Costa Mesa beginning with a doubleheader on Friday.