By Brandon Petersen

The Westcliff baseball team took it on the chin last weekend in a three-game home-and-home series with Vanguard to open the 2023 season.

The Lions won all three contests, 3-1 at home Friday, then 17-1 and 2-0 at the Great Park on a double-dip Saturday. 

The first and third games were close affairs with Westcliff's pitching staff showing up. 

But Westcliff's offense was ice-cold all weekend, and their defense was porous — particularly Saturday — leading to the series sweep. 

Although the Warriors were two-hit in the opening and closing contests, Eddie Rios and Keaton Slack impressed from the hill. 

In the season-opener, Rios went six and a third, allowing just two earned on five hits, while striking out four. 

Saturday, Slack went seven full, allowing one earned on seven strikeouts. 

In that contest, Slack went inning-for-inning with Vanguards' Dylan McDonald, who absolutely stifled the Warriors, striking out 14 in seven innings, and allowing just a pair of singles in the final frame. 

The score was knotted at nothing until the top of the seventh, when Antonio Omphroy planted a blast in the grass beyond the left field fence.

Ulysses Duran picked up the Warriors lone hits at Vanguard, and Evan Rocha picked up the lone run batted in when he was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the top of the seventh. 

Adam Stevens homered for the Lions in the back-half of the frame to take a 2-1 lead. 

The offense was equally cold at home, as the Warriors managed just five hits through 16 innings on Saturday. 

Meanwhile, Vanguard went nuts in Game 2, scoring 17 runs on 17 hits. The Warriors committed two official errors in that game but the total number of balls that hit Westcliff leather and popped out was five. 

Kyle Douphner got the start in Game 2 and pitched a solid four, allowing four earned on six hits and striking out four. 

But the bullpen was shaky, allowing 13 runs on 11 hits.

Despite dropping three to open the season, Vanguard is ranked No. 16 in the nation, and the Warriors will undoubtedly use the lessons learned going forward. 

It doesn't get any easier, however, as next up is Hope International, which is currently ranked No. 10 in America. 

That doubleheader will play out Friday in Fullerton at Amerige Park. First pitch is 11 a.m.

On Saturday, the Warriors return home for a doubleheader with Bethesda, starting at 11 a.m. at Vanguard University.