Cox growls for Vanguard

Steve Virgen

For the past few months, Brandon Cox had a date circled on his

calendar. He was looking forward to Saturday when he would be the

designated hitter for Vanguard University’s baseball team.

Cox, who was cut from Concordia in the fall, put the ball in play,

which brought in the game-winning run, as the Lions defeated Cox’s

former team, 3-2, in 10 innings to open the season at Vanguard.

In the bottom of the 10th inning, with the bases loaded and two

out, Cox sent a groundball toward third base where Concordia’s Steve

Hubbell fumbled the ball, allowing pinch-runner Adam Yoder to score

the game-winning run.

“I’ve had this day circled on my calendar for a long time,” Cox

said. “When I found out I would be [the designated hitter] I was very

happy I would have the opportunity to play against my old team. This

feels good [to win]. I would rather the ball I hit be solid, but

that’s what it came down to and the most important thing was to win

the game.”

Vanguard’s Scott Martin was walked to begin the bottom of the

10th, and Yoder entered for him. Jason Brunett followed with a

sacrifice bunt to move Yoder over to second. Travis Westerfeld’s

groundout got Yoder to third.

With two out, Isaac Salazar was hit by the pitch. Then the Eagles

intentionally walked freshman David Hudgins to set up Cox’s

anticlimactic at-bat. Hudgins, the Lions’ second baseman and leadoff

hitter, was 3 for 4 with the walk and also had two RBI. Cox went 2

for 4 with two singles.

“I just knew it was going to come down to a mistake like that,”

Vanguard Coach Kevin Kasper said. “It was kind of sad that it had to

end on that error, but we know that’s the way the game goes

sometimes.”

Kasper also said the Lions’ pitching was key in the nonconference

victory. The teams are in the Golden State Athletic Conference, but

the game was a nonconference contest because it was scheduled prior

to Feb. 1, which falls under NAIA rules, Kasper said.

Vanguard senior right-hander Marcus Harris started and went seven

innings. He recorded six scoreless innings, allowing eight hits and

striking out two. Junior Brent Erickson came on in relief and faced

the minimum in his three innings. He had two strikeouts and collected

the win.

Kasper had hoped he would get solid pitching since the game was at

Vanguard.

“Our take on playing at home is that it’s pretty tough to hit on

this field,” he said. “It’s also just tough to hit under these

conditions [windy]. You hit a ball on a line and all of a sudden it

becomes a parachute.”

Vanguard had five hits, while Concordia finished with eight.

The Lions led, 1-0, after three innings. In the bottom of the

third, Westerfeld, who was hit by the pitch to reach base, scored on

Hudgins’ bloop single that landed in right-center field.

But the Eagles answered with two runs in the fifth inning when

Justin Bird and Greg Conover opened the frame with doubles. Conover’s

double to left brought in Bird, and Conover later scored, sliding

under the tag on Nick Lentine’s sacrifice fly.

Vanguard came right back to tie the score in the bottom of the

fifth, when Salazar crossed the plate on Hudgins’ base hit, which

brought in Salazar from second. Salazar was walked and advanced to

second on an error that came on his steal attempt.

Salazar also came up big on a crucial defensive play to end the

top of the sixth. With two out and Bird on first, Conover belted

another double. The ball bounced just before the center field fence,

hit the top of it and Salazar grabbed it before it could go over.

Salazar then made the throw to the relay, shortstop Mike Sparks,

who threw out a sliding Bird, as Westerfeld the catcher made the tag.

The Eagles left five runners stranded, including two in the fifth

and seventh innings.

*--*

Nonconference

Vanguard 3, Concordia 2 (10 innings)

Score by Innings

Concordia 000 020 000 0 -- 2 8 2

Vanguard 001 010 000 1 -- 3 6 0

Duhamel, Avila (4), Larson (6), Fujii

(9) and Hendricks; Harris, Erickson

(8) and Westerfeld. W -- Erickson. L

-- Fujii. 2B -- Conover (C) 2, Bird

(C), Hudgins (V).

*--*