RIVERSIDE, Calif. --- Lyndsie Roberts belted two home runs and pitched an impressive 5-2 victory over Azusa Pacific in the the play-in game before falling 8-0 to No. 1 California Baptist in the first of a best-of-three semifinal series in GSAC Tournament play on Tuesday.

The Eagles end the day at 20-24, but more importantly, advanced to the semifinal round of the GSAC tournament with the victory over their arch-rival Cougars in the play-in game.

Roberts, who has been resigned to Biola's lone pitcher due to injuries, not only was outstanding in the circle, but also with the bat. Roberts went 3-for-4 against APU, with a pair of home runs in the game. She helped herself out with a two-run shot in the top of the first inning to stake Biola to an early 2-0 lead.

Azusa got one of those runs back in the bottom of the first, but the Eagles got that run back in the top of the third thanks to the speed of Jillian Storm. Storm opened the inning with a walk, stole second, the moved to third on an infield groundout, narrowly beating the throw from first with a great slide. She then came in to score on a passed ball to make it a 3-1 game.

The Cougars again closed the gap with a run in the bottom of the fifth inning, taking advantage of a pair of infield singles to load the bases with one out. After Roberts got an infield pop up for the second out, she walked in the second run before working out of the jam with a strikeout.

Roberts got that run back for the Eagles in a hurry, though, leading off the top of the sixth with a solo home run to right-center field. That was followed by a double by Krista Johnson, who would come around to score on a two-out single off the bat of Leslie Larson to make it 5-2.

As Roberts tired, the Cougars put a pair of runners on in each of the final two innings, but were unable to take advantage as the Eagles held on for the win.

Azusa Pacific stranded 11 runners in the game including seven in the final three innings. Roberts was also able to coax 13 fly-ball outs off the bats of Cougar hitters to just five groundouts, adding in three strikeouts.

The victory advanced the Eagles into the GSAC semfinals to play a best of three series against the top team in the NAIA, California Baptist.

Roberts again started in the circle and held the Lancers at bay over the course of the first three innings. But Cal Baptist scored its first run in the bottom of the fourth as Kendall Gorham led off the frame with a solo home run. The Lancers would add one more in the inning to go up 2-0 heading into the fifth.

Thanks to a pair of singles and a sacrifice bunt, Biola had runners at second and third with two out, hoping to tie the game. But CBU starter Emma Holden was able to get a strikeout to end the threat.

The Lancers would then break the game open with six runs in the fifth to end the game early on the 8-run rule.

The two teams meet again in the second game of the series on Wednesday (May 5) in Riverside, with first-pitch scheduled for 4:00 p.m. If the Eagles win, they would force a third and final game, with would begin around 6:00 p.m.