GAME ONE BOX SCORE | GAME TWO BOX SCORE
AZUSA, Calif. — Biola benefited from clutch hitting and strong pitching to pull off a much-needed doubleheader sweep over arch-rival Azusa Pacific University, winning 1-0 and 3-2 on Saturday afternoon at the Cougar Softball Complex in Azusa.
The Eagles improve to 23-21 on the season with their fifth-straight victory and move into a virtual tie for third place with the Cougars in the GSAC standings with a 9-11 record. Azusa Pacific, which has played two more conference games than Biola, is now 20-25 and 10-12 in GSAC play.
The wins also give Biola a measure of revenge against the Cougars, who swept a doubleheader against the Eagles in La Mirada earlier this season.
Freshman pitcher Lyndsie Roberts was the star of game one, pitching a three-hit shutout and driving in the game's only run. Biola got that run in the second inning as Krista Johnson and Keena Levert hit back-to-back singles to lead off the frame. Sara Smith then sacrificed the pair into scoring position and Roberts drove home Johnson with a sacrifice fly to deep rightfield.
Azusa Pacific continually threatened, putting at least one runner on base in all but one of the final five innings. In the fourth, the Cougars loaded the bases with one out, but Roberts struck out Bethany Weisser and got her sister Rebekah to ground out to end the inning. In the fifth, the first two APU players reached on Biola errors, but Roberts retired the next three batters to end the threat.
When the dust settled, Roberts picked up her second complete-game shutout of the season and struck out four to improve to 10-6 on the season. She has been absolutely dominant against the Cougars this season, allowing just two unearned runs on nine hits while striking out eight in 14 innings. She suffered a tough loss the last time out, falling 2-0 despite not allowing an earned run.
In the second game, Biola got on the board early with an unearned run in the first inning. Lauren Gandy reached on an error by the APU pitcher, then was sacrificed to second and got to third on an infield single by Jacqie Hudson, who was 5-for-8 on the day. Johnson then drove her in with a sacrifice fly to left field to make it 1-0 Eagles.
Azusa Pacific got the run back in the bottom of the inning on a two-out, RBI-double by Jen Mickelson. The Cougars would take their first lead of the day in the bottom of the second on an RBI-single by Jen Whitten. Erica Moyer, who came on in relief of starter Emily Gray, worked out of a one-out bases loaded jam, though, to limit the Cougars to just one run.
Biola would waste little time getting that run back, tying the game in the top of the third. Sarah Jensen led off the inning with a single, followed by a double by Jacqie Hudson. A walk to Johnson would load the bases with no one out and chase APU starter Erin Halma. Relief pitcher Jeannette Murad was able to get the first two batters she faced out without allowing a run, but Roberts ended that with a pinch-hit infield single to tie the game at 2-2.
The Eagles would take the lead the very next inning as Hudson hit her second-straight double to drive in Jensen with the go-ahead run.
Moyer allowed just two hits to the Cougars over the final five innings to earn her fifth win of the season. She improves to 5-7 on the season.
Biola begins its final week of the regular season this week starting with a trip to face No. 2 Point Loma Nazarene on Tuesday (Apr. 22) at 2:00 p.m. The Eagles close out the regular season on Saturday (Apr. 26) against Hope International.
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