GAME ONE BOX SCORE | GAME TWO BOX SCORE
LA MIRADA, Calif. --- Sophomore Emily Gray tossed five innings of shutout ball to lead Biola to a 7-0 win over Azusa Pacific in game two of a GSAC doubleheader on Saturday afternoon at Freedom Field in La Mirada. The Cougars held off the Eagles 5-4 in the opener.
Biola improves to 29-13 overall and 10-10 in the conference while Azusa moved to 14-24 and 4-18 in the GSAC.
Amerra Kesterson provided the bulk of the Biola offense on the day, going 3-for-7 with five runs scored and three RBIs.
In game two, Gray and Tatiana Garcia combined on a four-hit shutout for the Eagles. Gray picked up the win to move to 11-5 on the season.
Biola got off to a quick start in the first game as Kesterson drew a walk and came around to score on an RBI-single by Krista Johnson.
The Eagles would add two in the second as Kesterson drove in Kacie Lyding with a triple down the left field line, the scored on a groundout by Keena Levert.
Kesterson then drove in a run in the third inning with a sacrfice fly to right field to plate Lindsay Nuckolls, who was pinch-running for Morgan Facchini.
Erin DaSilva drove in Levert with a single up the middle for Biola's lone run in the fourth and an RBI-single by Jacqie Hudson and sacrfice fly by Levert added two more runs in the fifth.
Azusa had just one good scoring chance in the second game and that came in the top of the fifth. Bre Anderson led the inning off with a double, but was thrown out at home trying to score on a single by Natalie Mickelson.
In the first game, Biola had the early lead as Kesterson led the game off with a double and was driven home on a double by Krista Johnson.
However, the Cougars took the lead back in the second inning as Tierney Burk hit a two-out, two-run home run to leftfield to put APU up 2-1.
The Eagles got the run back in the second inning as Kacie Lyding reached on an error then was driven home on a double by Holly Jackson.
APU got another two out RBI, this time off the bat of Tami Carter, who singled home a run in the top of the third. The Cougars would get another on a solo home run by Mickelson in the fourth.
In the sixth inning, Azusa got what proved to be a big insurance run as Courtney Cleaves drove home a run with yet another two-out, RBI-single to make it 5-2.
The Eagles got one run back in the bottom of the inning on an RBI-single by Morgan Facchini to score Levert.
Kesterson pulled the Eagles back to within a run, leading off the bottom of the seventh with a home run down the rightfield line. It was her third home run of the season and the 16th of her career, tying the school record.
However, APU pitcher Camille Hundley was able to retire the next three batters to end the game. She improves to 8-8 on the season while Biola's Katie Gustaveson suffered the loss to fall to 14-7.
Biola closes out the home part of its season on Tuesday (Apr. 24), hosting Point Loma Nazarene at 2:00 p.m at Freedom Field.
