IRVINE, Calif. --- No. 20 Biola dropped a pair of close games including allowing four runs in the bottom of the seventh, falling 6-5 in the second game after losing 3-0 in the first game against No. 11 Concordia in a GSAC doubleheader on Tuesday afternoon.

Biola drops to 12-11 overall and wraps up the first half of GSAC play with a 5-7 record. Concordia improves to 29-11 and is 8-4 in the conference after the first-half.

After struggling to get much offense in the first game against one of the conference's top pitchers, Biola erupted for five runs on eight hits over the first three innings of the second game. Things got going with a run in the top of the second on Keena Levert's third home run of the season.

Biola would add three more runs in the inning. Kacie Lyding followed Levert's blast with a single and moved to second as catcher Morgan Facchini was hit by a pitch. After a wild pitch advanced the two runners, Sara Smith drove in the second run of the inning with a sacrifice squeeze. 

A few batters later, Biola loaded the bases with two out for Lyndsie Roberts, who drilled a single to center to score two more runs and give the Eagles a 4-0 lead. 

Biola added another run in the top of the third on an RBI-double by Facchini to score Lyding and make it a 5-0 game.

Meanwhile, Roberts was cruising in the circle, allowing just three hits in five scoreless inning for Biola. However, Concordia managed to break through for a pair of runs in the sixth off reliever Erica Moyer, though Biola was able to get out of the jam still leading 5-2.

The seventh inning got off to a tough start for Biola as an infield error allowed the first runner to reach off the third pitcher of the game for the Eagles: Kristin Larson. However, Larson struck out the next batter and got the second out with a flyout. It looked as though Biola would escape with the win as the next pitch was grounded to third, but a dropped throw over at first extended the inning for Concordia.

Concordia's Katie Carson then drove home the first run of the inning with a single which was followed by a walk to load the bases. Lizette Fernandez then tied the game with a two-run single. After another walk re-loaded the bases, Shannon Walton then ended the game with a walk-off single.

Larson suffered the tough loss despite not allowing an earned run in the seventh. Unfortunately for Larson, it was her second loss of the day as she took the defeat in game one as well. In that game, she pitched against Rachel Reekstin, who took a perfect game into the sixth inning.

It took Biola until the sixth to get to Reekstin when Facchini stroked a single through the right-side with one out. After the second out, Lauren Gandy collected the second hit of the game to put runners at second and third with two out. However, Reekstin worked out of the jam with a groundout to end the threat.

Concordia was able to pick up a run off Larson in the fourth inning to break the scoreless draw. Roberts then was called upon for relief after that, but was greeted by a pair of runs by Concordia in the fifth to stretch the lead to 3-0. That seemed to be all the support Reekstin would need on the afternoon.

Larson took both losses despite allowing just one earned run on the day. It was the first earned run she allowed since Feb. 24, a stretch of 27-1/3 innings. Unfortunately, the earned run raised her ERA to 0.76 on the season.

Facchini and Lyding finished the day each going 2-for-4 and were just a pair of seven Biola players to collect two hits on the day.

Biola takes a break from the always tough GSAC schedule to take part in the SunWest Classic hosted by Chapman University. The Eagles will take on Hamline University and the University of St. Thomas in non-conference games on Thursday (Mar. 26) at Hart Park in Orange. Biola faces UST at 10:45 a.m. and faces HU at 1:00 p.m.