Harris, Lions stay hot
There are no bobblehead giveaways or souvenir visors for the first 100 fans at Vanguard University baseball games. But lately promotion has been a theme for the Lions.
Coach Rob Pegg’s squad, which extended its winning streak to eight games with a 6-4 nonconference win over Saint Katherine College on Tuesday, was promoted from No. 13 to No. 11 in the NAIA poll this week.
Individually, senior first baseman Matt Harris has been on a recent hot streak that prompted Pegg to advance him from the No. 7 spot in the batting order to the No. 3 hole.
Harris continued his surge at the plate Tuesday, going three for four with one run batted in to pace the hosts’ 10-hit attack.
Junior third baseman Trai Patrick was two for three with one RBI, senior center fielder Paul Keating drove in two runs, and junior first baseman Brock Eissman, the former No. 3 hitter, hit his second home run of the season to open the scoring.
The Lions (31-9-1) used eight pitchers to handle the Firebirds (3-13), who had just two hits, four baserunners and only one runner past first base through eight innings, after which the Lions appeared to be cruising, 6-0.
Sophomore Aiden Sonksen, making his season debut, opened the ninth on the mound for Vanguard, and threw 12 consecutive balls before being relieved. Junior Jake Mellenthin allowed a hit, issued a walk and hit a batter while facing four hitters, before senior closer Michael Jordan got the final two outs for his NAIA-leading 14th save.
Lions pitchers allowed just three hits, matching a season low for a nine-inning game, and combined to strike out 10. At one point, Vanguard hurlers retired 16 in a row.
Senior Matt Silbermann earned his first win of the season in just his second start. He allowed one hit in three scoreless innings.
Juniors Roberto Johnson and Christian Sheehan, as well as sophomore Kurt Gairing, all threw scoreless relief innings, while sophomore Alex Camacho fanned three in two scoreless frames for the winners.
Vanguard also sparkled defensively. Eissman made a diving catch in right-center field, Harris dived to his left to turn a would-be double into a groundout, senior shortstop Jose Rojas was flawless, Johnson snared a liner to the mound, and Silbermann picked off a runner at first base.
Harris hit all three of his singles hard to continue a stretch of prosperity that has seen him hit safely in 11 of his last 12 games. Hitting a solid .302 through 29 games, Harris has raised his average to .346. In his last 11 games, he is 18 for 40 (a sizzling .450) with 17 RBIs. In his last eight games, he is 15 for 30 with 13 RBIs. After going nine for 13 in four games from March 29 to April 3, including a three-game series at Arizona Christian in which he was eight for 10 with seven RBIs, Harris was named Golden State Athletic Conference Player of the Week.
Harris has been in the No. 3 hole the last five games.
“At first, I was a little nervous,” Harris said of the promotion in the batting order. “I’ve been a bottom-third of the lineup guy for a while now and I’ve kind of gotten used to that. But if Coach Pegg needs me [batting third] to provide for the team, then I’ll do it.”
Harris said there was nothing mystical about his sizzling stretch at the plate.
“It’s very simple,” said the first-year Lion, who transferred from Cal State Monterey Bay. “I’m just seeing [pitches] really well. It usually takes me a little bit to get going and we’re almost done with the season, so I’m kind of getting hot at the right time.”
Vanguard (16-5 in conference), which is one game behind No. 7-ranked Westmont in the GSAC standings, will hope to remain hot in its final 10 regular-season games. The Lions play host to William Jessup in a three-game GSAC series beginning Friday at 3 p.m.
“We talked [Monday] about what we’re fighting for,” Harris said. “We’re fighting for that brotherhood [as teammates] and the school and we’re also fighting for God. It’s really good to play for a reason and I think we have one.”
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Nonconference
Vanguard 6, Saint Katherine 4
SCORE BY INNINGS
SKC 000 000 004 – 4 3 1
VU 010 102 02x – 6 10 0
T. Smith, Z. Smith (6), Banjac (8) and Aguillard; Silbermann, Johnson (4), Camacho (5), Sheehan (7), Gairing (8), Sonksen (9), Mellenthin (9), Jordan (9) and Bettencourt, Wright (8). W – Silbermann, 1-2. L – T. Smith. Sv – Jordan (14). 2B – Vega (VU), Keating (VU). HR – Eissman (VU).
