SAN DIEGO, Calif. --- Biola scored four runs in the top of the first capped by a three-run home run by
Mac Sullivan and cruised to a 7-2 victory over No. 8 Point Loma Nazarene University in a GSAC game at Carroll B Land Field in San Diego.
The Eagles improve to 6-6 and to 1-1 in GSAC play while the Sea Lions drop to 6-3 and are also at 1-1 in conference play.
Sullivan capped a four-run top of the first inning with his first home run of the season, a three-run shot well over the right-center field fence. That came one batter after
Vinnie Fayard opened the scoring with an RBI-single up the middle.
Point Loma would answer back with a two-spot in the bottom of the first, benefitting from a bit of wildness by Biola starter
Kevin Ryan. Rayn walked the first batter and hit the second, but looked like he might get out of it after a pair of outs. But a wild pitch plated the first run and an RBI single by Tyler Kuehl scored the score before Ryan retired the side with a strikeout.
From there, Ryan and the rest of the Biola pitching staff dominated the Sea Lions bats, allowing no runs on five hits the rest of the way.
Ryan picked up the win after going five, allowing five hits and two runs while striking out three. He still was a bit wild, though walking six in all.
Kyle Atkins came on in the sixth and was lights-out, pitching a perfect three innings before giving way to
Cameron McVey, who strikeout the side though allowing one single.
Biola added one insurance run in in the seventh and top of the ninth. In the seventh,
Boone Farrington led off the frame with a double down the left-field line, then
Benji Sutherland drove him in with his third hit of the game.
In the ninth,
Christopher Neal led off with an infield single, followed by a bunt single by Farrington. After a sacrifice bunt moved the runners into scoring position,
Vinnie Fayard added a run on a sacrifice fly, then
Johnny Farrington drove home a run with a single.
Sutherland was 3-for-4 with a sacrifice bunt in the game, scoring a run and driving in another.
Boone Farrington had two hits in three at bats and walked twice, scoring three of Biola's seven runs.
The two teams close out the GSAC-Opening series on Saturday (Feb. 26) in a doubleheader at Eagle Diamond. The games begin at 11:00 a.m.
