Four Warrior home runs in the first four innings foreshadowed a 13-8 Westmont (22-13, 19-13 PacWest) victory over Hawai’i Pacific (20-17, 18-13) on Wednesday. The game, which was a makeup game due to a rainout in Hawaii last month, was played at Dean Harvey Field on the campus of Vanguard in Costa Mesa.

“I am really proud of the team today,” said Westmont’s head coach Paul Svagdis. “Having an early morning road trip, today, in a ‘must-win’ situation was certainly not what we drew up to start the year. However, the boys competed hard at the plate and on the mound, which gave us a chance to move on.”

The Warriors’ first run came in the top of the first on a solo home run down the left-field line by Isaac Veal.

In the top of the second, a trio of doubles scored two more runs for Westmont. Joey Rico led off with a double down the right field line. With one away, Rico took third on a ground ball to second by Mora that resulted in the second out of the inning. Aaron Jacobson then doubled to deep center field, driving in Rico. Next, Griffin Brown doubled down the left field line, plating Jacobsen and making it a 3-0 game.

Westmont added three more runs in the top of the third to take a 6-0 advantage. After Veal led off with an infield single, Jesse Di Maggio pounded a two-RBI home run down the left field line. Then Beltowski stepped to the plate and hit a solo home run to left.

The bottom of the third proved to be challenging for the Warriors who surrendered five runs on two doubles, three singles, two sacrifice bunts and one error. That drew the Sharks to within a single run (6-5). However, that margin would not last long.

In the top of the fourth, Brown reached on a walk, then stole second. After Williams was hit by a pitch, Veal delivered his third hit and second home run of the day. Veal’s three-run blast down the left-field line made the score 9-5.

The Warriors scored two more runs in the top of the sixth. Williams worked a lead-off walk, reached second on a wild pitch, and then stole third. That brought up Veal who delivered an-RBI single to center field. Veal advanced to second, then to third on a pair of wild pitches. A single through the left side by Beltowski, as the infield was playing in, scored Veal.

After the Sharks scored twice in the bottom of the sixth to pull within three (11-8), Westmont scored on a double steal in the top of the seventh. Jacobsen had reached on a walk and advanced to third on a single down the left field line by Williams. After Jack Zerkel came into the game as a pinch runner at third, Williams broke for second. When the Shark’s catcher threw to second, Zerkel headed home. Both runners were safe and Westmont improved its margin to 12-8.

The final run for the Warriors came in the top of the ninth. With one away, Brown was hit by a pitch, then stole second. With two away, Veal singled to left, driving in Brown.

For the day, Veal went five of six at the plate with four runs scored and six RBIs. The five hits, four runs scored and six RBIs were all one off of the program single game record.

“Isaac Veal had very competitive plate appearances today and did a nice job accelerating through the ball,” expressed Svagdis. “His at bats seemed to be a positive catalyst to the rest of the group.”

Six different pitchers took the mound for the Warriors with Brady Spencer (1-0) picking up his first win as a Warrior. Spencer pitched an inning and two-thirds, striking out three of the five batters he faced. K.J. Rieden and Brandon Tatch also had scoreless outings, pitching the final three and two-third innings combined.

“On the hill, I was really happy with the bullpen,” noted Svagdis. “Spencer, Nick Romero, KJ and Tatch all filled up the zone and gave us a chance to win.”

 The Warriors and Sharks will put their three-game make-up series on hold until Monday, April 20, when they reconvene at Dean Harvey Field for a double-header. First pitch is at 11:00 a.m.

Before then, Westmont will head to San Diego for a four-game series with Point Loma on Friday and Saturday. Hawai’i Pacific will stay in Costa Mesa to take on Vanguard.