College Softball: Vanguard closing in on GSAC crown
Vanguard University junior shortstop Kaitlin Estes said she prefers playing defense to hitting, because she likes to be in the infield dirt.
But with the multi-faceted heroics of Estes and a bunch of her softball teammates, the No. 17-ranked Lions have played their way onto the top of the heap in the Golden State Athletic Conference.
Vanguard swept conference visitor Hope International in a doubleheader Tuesday, rallying in both games to post a 7-5 win in the opener, and an 8-5 triumph in Game 2. Improving to 37-9, 14-4 in conference, Coach Beth Renkoski’s Lions have a four-game lead over second-place Menlo and William Jessup with just six conference games remaining.
With dynamic hitting, relentless base running, effective pitching, and defense that is at once reliable and spectacular, the Lions have gone 34-6 since opening the season 3-3. They have swept 14 doubleheaders in that stretch, and have been swept only once (by NCAA Division II Concordia).
The Lions were ahead by three or more runs in two of their last six losses, and were tied, 1-1, after five innings in another.
But they clearly are not uncomfortable coming from behind either, as they did twice to extend the Royals’ losing streak to six games.
Hope, just one game behind Vanguard after rallying to edge the Lions, 7-6 in Fullerton on March 24, are now 22-12, 8-10.
Estes, who dives, skids, rolls and darts all over the dirt she so savors while playing shortstop, also collects plenty on the base paths. She was five for six with two runs batted in and three runs scored in both games on Tuesday.
Vanguard senior second baseman Summer Penner was equally omnipresent in the field and at the plate. She ranged near the fence behind first base to snare two foul pops, had four singles, drove in two runs and scored twice.
Junior first baseman Britaney Heinle was three for four with two doubles, a triple and three runs in the two games for the Lions, for whom freshman right fielder Cassie Balswick was a combined three for six with three RBIs and two runs.
Sophomore pitcher Kolbi Tonini earned relief victories in both games to improve to 8-2.
“Today was important for us, not just the wins but how we won,” said Renkoski, in her 21st season. “We battled back with our team effort and didn’t give up in intense situations.”
After an RBI single by Balswick and a two-run triple by freshman Tatiana Tabizon gave Vanguard a 3-0 lead through four innings of Game 1, HIU benefitted from two errors to post five unearned runs in the fifth.
But Penner singled in Heinle who had doubled in the fifth to narrow the deficit to one. Then Estes sparked a three-run sixth with a leadoff triple. Estes scored on a sacrifice fly to left by Samantha Shaffer. The next three hitters walked, before an error and a single by Penner capped the scoring.
In Game 2, Vanguard scored twice in the second inning, only to see the Royals score three in the third. After HIU upped its lead to 4-2 in the fifth, Vanguard rallied for three in the fifth and tacked on three more in the sixth to complete the sweep.
Estes had and RBI single in the fifth and an RBI double in the sixth, in which Balswick also singled in a run for the Lions.
“I believe in our team this year,” Estes said. “We are very confident, because we have won so many games and scored so many runs. We don’t think a team can beat us.
“At the beginning of the season, I told myself we were going to win conference, because we have the confidence and we have the talent. We all work together and play together really hard, so we believe we can do it.”
Vanguard closes out conference play with road doubleheaders against Arizona Christian (Saturday), William Jessup (April 21) and Menlo (April 22).
Game 2
Vanguard 8, Hope International 5
SCORE BY INNINGS
HIU 003 011 0 – 5 11 4
VU 020 033 x – 8 9 1
Guillen and Cano; Thornhill, Tonini (6) and Shaffer. W – Tonini, 8-2. L – Guillen, 9-5. 2B – Bonham (HIU), Shaffer (VU), Sargent (HIU), Guillen (HIU), K. Estes (VU). 3B – Franks (HIU), Heinle (VU).
Game 1
Vanguard 7, Hope International 5
SCORE BY INNINGS
HIU 000 050 0 – 5 5 1
VU 001 213 x – 7 9 2
Franks and Martinez; Dwyer, Tonini (5) and Shaffer. W – Tonini, 7-2. L – Franks, 13-7. 2B – Guillen (HIU), Heinle (VU) 2, Cano (HIU), Young (HIU). 3B – Tabizon (VU), K. Estes (VU).
Twitter: @BarryFaulkner5
