AZUSA, Calif. --- Ryan Delgado ended an epic see-saw battle with his second home run of the game, giving Azusa Pacific a walk-off 9-8 win over Biola in an elimination game at the 2009 NAIA Baseball National Championship Opening Round in Azusa on Wednesday night.

The loss knocks the Eagles out of the NAIA Tournament and ends their season at 35-24. The Cougars, the tournament's No. 4 seed, advance to face No. 2 University of British Columbia at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday.

Delgado's walk-off shot came on the third pitch of the inning and sailed over the fence in dead centerfield. It came just moments after the Eagles were able to tie the game with a run in the top of the ninth. 

Biola tied the back-and-forth battle with a run in the top of the ninth. Nick Rotkowitz drew a lead-off walk followed by a single by Brent Chavez through the left side. A double play moved Rotkowitz to third where he would score on a wild pitch.

However Delgado ended the dramatic game with a dramatic shot off Biola closer Billy Vopinek which proved to be just the third earned run of the season of the junior. 

The game started with the Eagles on top as they scored a run in the top of the first on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Hawkins Gebbers. The Cougars answered right back with an unearned run in the bottom of the frame. Ryan Dowell reached on a one-out error and came around to scored on a double by Brice Cutspec. 

In the second, Biola regained the lead. Vinnie Fayard and Taylor Loop recorded back-to-back singles to open the frame and moved up 90 feet on a wild pitch. One out later, Chad Pace drove home Fayard with an RBI-ground out.

Once again, Azusa Pacific tied the game with a run in the second as Eddie Crespo's double plated Drew Evans with the tying run.

After Biola failed to score in the top of the third, the Cougars took their first lead of the game with back-to-back home runs by Delgado and Virgil Chavira which made it 4-2.

The Eagles wasted little time evening the game, scoring twice in the top of the fourth. Loop led the frame off with a solo home run followed by back-to-back doubled by Pace and Chris Foreman to knot the game at 4-4.

Azusa Pacific responded with a two-spot of its own in the bottom of the inning thanks to a two-run homer by Ryan Dowell to give the Cougars back the lead at 6-4.

APU added another run in the fifth as a two-out error allowed an unearned run to cross the plate and give the home team a 7-4 lead after five.

But Biola came right back with three runs of their own, capitalizing on an APU error to tie the game again. Foreman drove in the first run with a two-out double down the leftfield line. He would score along with Gil Banwart on a two-run single through the leftside by Rotkowitz. 

Yet, once again, it was Azusa Pacific with an answer as a double down the leftfield line by Chris Feicht drove home Eddie Crespo with the go-ahead run in the bottom of the inning.

Neither team would score in the seventh or the eighth, though Biola had it share of chances. In the seventh, Vopinek hit a two-out blooper down the rightfield line which fell in for a double. After the hit, Azusa Pacific head coach Paul Svagdis moved Chavira from second base to right field for defensive purposes. The move paid off in a big was as Chavira gunned pinch runner Phil Blazek at the plate on a Vinnie Fayard single to right field.

In the eighth, the Eagles had another chance in the eighth inning as Loop led off the inning with his third hit of the game. However, Biola would not be able to advance the runner any further and still trailed heading to the ninth.

Biola starter Adam McNaught went three-plus innings, allowing three earned runs on five hits. Reliever Charlie Gausepohl also surrendered three earned runs in his 2-1/3 innings pitched. Junior Steven Alexander bounced back from a tough outing on Tuesday and tossed 2-1/3 scoreless innings, allowing just two baserunners to reach base on a pair of walks. 

Vopinek took the ball with two out in the bottom of the eighth to face GSAC Player of the Year Brice Cutspec. Vopinek coaxed a routine groundball to first to end the inning. However, he took the loss--just his first of the season--after allowing the home run in the bottom of the ninth.

Ben Jones picked up the win despite allowing four runs on seven hits over four innings. 

Rotkowitz went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and a pair of RBIs. Loop also collected three hits in four at-bats, hitting his third home run in as many tournament games and four in the last six games.