BOX SCORE
LA MIRADA, Calif. — Chris Schwinden allowed two runs on four hits and stymied the Biola offense for the majority of the afternoon as No. 12 Fresno Pacific defeated No. 17 Biola 5-2 in a GSAC game on Thursday afternoon at Eagles Diamond in La Mirada.
The Eagles, ranked No. 17 in the latest NAIA National rankings, fall to 33-14 on the season and 20-11 in GSAC play and are now two games behind the Sunbirds for second in the conference. Fresno Pacific improves to 32-11 overall and 22-9 in GSAC.
Schwinden continued his mastery over Biola, allowing just two runs through the first seven innings before the Eagles were able to score two runs on two hits with two out in the eighth. Schwinden tossed a complete-game, four-hit shutout over Biola when the two teams met earlier in the year in Fresno and improves to 6-1 on the season with the win.
Biola starter Josh Baas surrendered five runs on 10 hits on the afternoon, but worked out of numerous jams to keep the Eagles in the game throughout. However, he drops to 6-3 on the year
The Sunbirds opened the scoring in the top of the third with an RBI-double by Andrew Douglas to make it 1-0. They would add another in the fourth with a run-scoring single by Case Rigby.
After throwing a 1-2-3 fifth inning, Baas got in trouble in the sixth, giving up a leadoff home run to Jared Coleman. He then walked the next batter, gave up a double and another walk to load the bases with no one out. However, a ground out, shallow pop out and fly out ended the inning with the score 3-0.
Things got a little crazy in the eighth inning as Fresno threatened again with runners at the corner and one out. Rigby hit a high chopper to second and Anthony Lowell collided with Hawkins Gebbers on the basepath as Gebbers was trying to field the ball. Gebbers picked the ball up and threw out Rigby at first hoping for an inning-ending double play. But the umpires conferred and determined that the ball was dead as soon as the contact occurred, calling Lowell out, returned the Biola players to the field and putting runners back at first and third.
Fresno Pacific took advantage of the situation as Joey Norwood and Casey Padgett collected RBI-singles in the next two at bats to put the Sunbirds up 5-0.
Biola was finally able to get to Schwinden in the eighth inning. With two out, Brent Chavez hit a single up the middle and Chris Foreman drew a walk to put two on. Nick Rotkowitz then hit a double to deep centerfield to drive home the two. Gebbers was intentionally walked after that bringing Kris Cook to the plate representing the tying run. Cook hit a shot out to centerfield, but Coleman was able to gather it in to end the threat.
Schwinden then retired the Eagles in order in the bottom of the ninth to preserve the victory.
Rotkowitz finished the game with two of Biola's four hits, going 2-for-3 to extend his hitting-streak to 21 games. He is one short of Gebbers' 22-game streak earlier in the season and just three shy of the school record of 24 set by Randy Brouwer back in 1982.
Biola now must win its final three games and hope for Fresno Pacific to split at San Diego Christian on Saturday in order to move past the Sunbirds for second in the conference–and regional standings. The road is not that easy for the Eagles, though, as they must now travel to Azusa Pacific to face the No. 5-ranked Cougars in a doubleheader on Saturday (Apr. 26). Game time for that twinbill is set for Noon.
