LAKESIDE, Calif. --- Junior pitcher Kevin Ryan allowed one run on nine hits in a complete game victory over San Diego Christian as Biola won 7-1 in a GSAC game on Wednesday afternoon at Stars Field in Lakeside.
The Eagles improve to 15-9 on the season and move within one game of first place in the GSAC with a 9-3 conference mark. The Hawks drop to 4-14, 2-9 in the GSAC.
Ryan pitched yet another solid game and earned his second complete-game win of the season. He failed to allow a hit in the game until the fifth inning and worked out of a couple of jams late in the contest to improve to 4-0 on the season and lower his ERA to 2.20.
Biola provided the offense for their young pitcher, starting with four runs in the top of the fifth inning. Last week's GSAC Player of the Week Brian Loard started things off with a two-run single with one out in the frame. After a double by Michael Andrews moved him to third, Loard scored on a sacrifice bunt, with Andrews coming around on a bunt single by Boone Farrington.
Garrett Leon would plate a run in the sixth inning with a sacrifice fly, driving home Vinnie Fayard who led off the inning with a single.
San Diego Christian would get its lone run of the game in the bottom of the sixth as the Eagles gave up a run for an out. However, the Eagles got the run back in the top of the seventh. Farrington led off the inning with double and scored on an RBI-single by Fayard.
Biola would cap the scoring in the eighth with an insurance run. Andrews started things off with his second double of the game, followed by a run-scoring double by pinch-hitter Brent Opdyke.
Ryan would load the bases with Hawks in the eighth innings with two outs before getting a fly out to end the threat. Two reached against him with two outs in the ninth, but Ryan closed out the game with a strikeout on his 127th pitch of the game.
The two teams meet again on Thursday in the second game of the four-game GSAC series beginning at 3:00 p.m. The series wraps up in La Mirada on Saturday with a doubleheader at Noon on Eagles Diamond.
