Vanguard rolls, 8-2

AZUSA - Vanguard University was an 8-2 winner in the first round of

the NAIA Region II Baseball Playoffs Tuesday, dropping Point Loma

(32-17-1) into the loser’s bracket of the double elimination tournament.

The Vanguards, who improved to 24-23-1, blew Point Loma away with a

13-hit attack, led by Chad Chop, who was 2 for 4 with a double and his

13th home run, four runs scored and two RBIs, and Joe Carnahan, who was 3

for 5 with a double and an RBI.

Andy Riddell, Matt Tisthammer and Samuel Baeder all came up with a

pair of hits as Vanguard scored three in the fifth and two in the sixth

to break it up after taking a precarious 2-1 edge into the fifth.

Meanwhile, on the mound, Marcus Harris went the distance, allowing two

earned runs on seven hits. He struck out six and walked three.

The victory sends Vanguard against The Master’s today at 3 p.m. at the

same site, Azusa Pacific.

“We picked up some momentum toward the end of the regular season, and

I think we are carrying that over into the playoffs,” said Vanguard Coach

Kevin Kasper, whose team won its final four conference games to clinche a

playoffs berth. “Both of those players (Chop and Harris) really carried

us through that final stretch, and Chad basically lifted us offensively

into the playoffs.”

NAIA Region II Playoffs

First round

Vanguard 8, Point Loma 2

Point Loma 100 000 100 - 2 7 2

Vanguard 110 032 01x - 8 13 1

Johnson, Hoover (5), James (6) and Killen; Harris and Garner. W -

Harris, 7-3. L - Johnson, 9-4. 2B - Hanly (PL), Chop (V), Carnahan (V),

Baeder (V). HR - Mamula (PL), Chop (V).