Biola rallies to join Vanguard in first place

LA MIRADA — Vanguard University baseball coach Rob Pegg has said that as senior Brandon Sandoval goes, so go the Lions.

Pegg’s words rang prophetic when Sandoval lay motionless, face in the dirt warning track, after colliding with the center-field fence trying to track down what became game-tying inside-the-park home run in a 13-12 loss at Biola on Friday.

After an eight-minute delay – most of which spent in silence as both dugouts knelt in prayer for the Golden State Athletic Conference Player of the Year candidate, who eventually rose, shaken, and left the field sitting upright on a motorized cart – Biola took the lead for good, 12-11, on a towering home run by Jerron Largusa.

The Eagles (33-15, 18-10 in conference) added three singles to take a 13-11 lead through eight innings.

Vanguard (30-20, 18-10), which blew leads of 5-1, 10-4 and 11-7, managed one run in the ninth to fall into a first-place tie with the Eagles, with whom they contest a doubleheader on Saturday beginning at 11:30 a.m.

Both teams blasted four home runs with the wind blowing out in a yard with snug dimensions (325 feet down the lines, 345 in the alleys and 380 to dead-center). There were a combined 15 extra-base hits.

Biola, which has won 11 of its last 13, drew within 10-7 on a three-run homer by Ricky Perez in the fifth inning, then used two walks and three RBI singles in the seventh to close within 11-10.

After reliever and winner James Goodwin retired the Lions in order in the eighth, Jonas Wellan, who had homered in the second inning, laced a one-out drive to center that Sandoval retreated, lost his feet and, Pegg said, hit a metal pole anchoring the fence with his head as the ball fell on the track, allowing Wellan to circle the bases and erase Vanguard’s final lead.

Pegg said Sandoval, one of the school’s two Male Athletes of the Year, should be OK, but whether he can play Saturday is uncertain. Sandoval was one for four to fall to .399. His eight homers share the team lead and his 44 RBIs, 62 runs, 75 hits, and 32 stolen bases top the Lions.

“We’ll go through the protocol,” Pegg said, “and go from there.”

All nine spots in both lineups produced at least one hit, with Brock Eissman (three for five with one RBI and one run) and Josh Weeks (two for three with three RBIs, one homer and two runs) leading the Lions’ 12-hit attack.

Sandoval, Shane Elias-Calles and Grady Conner, a freshman out of Costa Mesa High, also homered for Vanguard, for which Sandoval and Elias-Calles each drove in a pair.

Vanguard closer Jake Mellenthin became the fifth Vanguard pitcher when he started the eighth. He blew what would have been his 10^th save and fell to 1-3.

Biola closer Daniel Jang allowed one run in the ninth to record his 11^th save.

“Give Biola credit,” Pegg said. “They scrap and they got 21 hits, but we weren’t good enough on the mound. You score 12 runs, you hope to win a ballgame.”

Golden State Athletic Conference

Biola 13, Vanguard 12

SCORE BY INNINGS

VU 140 320 101 – 12 12 2

Biola 130 030 33x – 13 21 1

Lumanlan, Sheehan (6), Bailey (7), Steele (7), Mellenthin (8) and Wright, Leal (7); Gallarda, McCarrell (5), Goodwin (8), Jang (9) and Wellan. W – Goodwin, 2-0. L – Mellenthin, 1-3. Sv – Jang (11). 2B – Eissman (VU) 2, Weeks (VU), Largusa (B), Wellan (B), Magro (B). 3B – Hughes (B). HR – Sandoval (VU), Wellan (B) 2, Weeks (VU), Elias-Calles (VU), Perez (B), Conner (VU), Largusa (B).

barry.faulkner@latimes.com

Twitter: @BarryFaulkner5