BOX SCORE
AZUSA, Calif. — Junior pitcher Brian Albert allowed just two runs on six hits while all nine starters recorded at least one hit as Biola rolled to a 10-2 win over Point Loma Nazarene in the first round of the NAIA Region II baseball tournament on Tuesday night at the Cougar Baseball Complex in Azusa.
The Eagles, ranked No. 20 in the latest NAIA rankings and the No. 3 seed in the tournament, improve to 35-16 on the season and advance in the winner's bracket to face the No. 2 seed Fresno Pacific on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. The Sea Lions drop to 28-22 overall and will face off against No. 1 Azusa Pacific in the double elimination tournament at 11:00 a.m.
Albert was simply amazing for the Eagles despite getting into a bit of trouble early on. He scattered six hits on the afternoon and gave up a pair of runs on three hits in the fourth inning, but did not allow hit from that point on, finishing with five strikeouts and the victory.
Senior Scott Nelson got Biola on the scoreboard in the second inning with a two-out, two-run home run to right field. McQueen preceded him with a single through the left-side of the infield to extend the inning to set up Nelson's bomb.
The Sea Lions tied the game with a pair of runs in the top of the fourth as Jesse Gill and Mike Miles hit back-to-back doubles.
Biola broke the game open with four runs in the bottom of the fifth. Nick Rotkowitz, who extended his hitting streak to a school-record 25-game hitting-streak in the game, doubled down the leftfield line to drive home Chris Foreman. Hawkins Gebbers then drove home Rotkowitz with a single to make it 4-2, then Kris Cook followed with a two-run home run as Biola went up 6-2.
The Eagles would add three more runs in the seventh on run-scoring singles by Matt McQueen and Nelson. Foreman then hit an RBI-ground out to make it 9-2 in favor of Biola.
Gebbers then capped the scoring with a long home run down the leftfield line to lead off the eighth.
Overall, the top of the order for the Eagles went 8-for-13 with four runs scored and four RBIs. Gebbers led the way going 3-for-3 and reaching base in all five plate appearances. Rotkowitz was 3-for-5 while McQueen went 3-3 with two runs scored and Scott Nelson contributed two hits in four at bats with three RBIs.
Andrew Bovich suffered the loss for the Sea Lions, allowing four runs on eight hits over four innings pitched. He falls to 6-4 on the season. Albert improves to 9-3 with his eighth-straight victory.
Biola is making its sixth-straight trip to the NAIA Region II tournament having won the tournament twice over that stretch.
