COSTA MESA, CALIF. – The newly-ranked OUAZ baseball team had a tough challenge in front of them entering the ninth inning against Vanguard on Friday. The Spirit trailed by eight runs, but found a way to get all that they needed to extend the game.
OUAZ would fall in extra innings, 15-14, but not before more dramatics. Vanguard loaded the bases in the tenth, but the Spirit got out of that jam and pushed it to the 11th, where the Lions would get a walk-off double from Christopher Famolaro.
The ninth was not the first time OUAZ had to battle back, as they trailed 6-1 through five innings. The Spirit scored five runs in the top of the sixth, with the big hit coming from a Joey Winters two-RBI single to tie the contest.
Winters would be the batter to start the OUAZ rally in the ninth, hitting a lead-off solo home run. The next four batters would reach before an out was recorded, and then after the out, the next four Spirit hitters would reach while bringing in runs. The game-tying run came off the bat of Christian Powell, who hit a sacrifice fly to bring in Nicholas Lustig.
Winters had the best day of any hitter, going 5-for-7 with four runs batted in. He had two hits and two RBI during the ninth inning, and scored himself on the home run.
OUAZ had 16 hits as a team, and three other players also had multi-hit games. Carter had three hits, plus Lustig and Daniel Durazo each had two. Carter, Lustig, and Logan Meyer each drove in two runs each as well.
The Spirit still have an opportunity to win the series, as they play a doubleheader tomorrow with Vanguard. First pitch from Dean Harvey Field is set for 11 a.m.
