LA MIRADA, Calif. --- Pitching, defense and timely hitting lifted No. 23 Biola to a GSAC doubleheader sweep of Vanguard University on Saturday at Freedom Field. The Eagles won the first game 1-0 in eight innings and followed up with a 4-2 victory in the second game.

Biola improves to 12-9 on the season on the heels of their third-straight win and move to 5-5 in GSAC play. The Lions drop to 15-14 overall and to 3-7 in conference action.

The teams opened the doubleheader with an exciting pitchers' duel as Biola's Kristin Larson battled Vanguard starter Patricia Olvera. While Olvera held the Biola bats in check through most of the first seven innings, the Lions had at least one baserunner in each of the first six innings. However, Larson worked out of those jams brilliantly to keep Vanguard off the board.

After six scoreless innings, Biola sent Lyndsie Roberts to the hill and pitched a perfect seventh to help send the game into extra innings.

In the top of the eighth, Vanguard moved the international tiebreaker runner to third as the Eagles were unsuccessful in getting the lead out on a sacrifice bunt. Roberts then loaded the bases as she hit Stephanie Leisenring with a pitch. However, she worked out of the jam thanks a great play at first by the Eagles' Sara Smith, who caught a line shot and stepped on first for the double-play. Roberts then was able to get Angela St. Croix to ground out to third to end the threat.

In the bottom of the inning, Erica Moyer moved the tiebreaker runner to third on a single up the middle. After an infield groundout put runners on second and third, pinch-hitter Kacie Lyding ended the game with a walk-off single.

While the win went to Roberts, Larson pitched well, allowing just three hits over the course of six scoreless innings to drop her ERA to 0.64, the second-lowest in the GSAC this season.

The second game was another thriller and featured more great pitching and clutch hitting by the Eagles. Biola struck first with a pair of runs in the bottom of the first inning. With two out, Smith reached on a bunt single. That was followed by a double to left by Roberts to put runners in scoring position. Krista Johnson then cleared the bases with a double to right-centerfield to give the Eagles an early lead.

Roberts continued to baffle the Vanguard hitters, retiring the first 10 batters she faced in game two. The 11th batter, April Glenn, broke the streak with a one out walk. That was followed by the only hit Roberts would give up, though it was a big one: a towering two-run shot to right-centerfield which tied the score at 2-2.

After the Eagles missed a chance to take the lead in the bottom of the fourth, they finally broke through in the fifth, once again scoring with two outs. Biola had Smith at second and Roberts on at first with two out for Johnson, who again came up with a clutch hit, driving a single to left which plated Smith. The Eagles would then tack on another run after a Vanguard error and led 4-2 after five.

Roberts continued to cruise through the sixth and handed things off to Moyer in the top of the seventh. Moyer allowed a pinch-hit, two out single, but that was it, closing out the game to earn her first save of the season.

The victory gave Roberts a pair of wins on the day as she improves to 7-4 on the season. She allowed two runs on just one hit over six innings, striking out three.

Johnson finished the game going 2-for-3, driving in three runs with a double and a single. Smith and Lauren Gandy also collected a pair of hits in the second game to pace the Biola attack.

The Eagles return to action on Tuesday (Mar. 24), traveling to Irvine to battle No. 11 Concordia University in a GSAC doubleheader beginning at 2:00 p.m.