LA MIRADA, Calif. --- In her final home games as a member of the Biola softball team,
Lyndsie Roberts belted her 11th home run of the season, setting a new program record and helping the Eagles sweep a GSAC doubleheader against Hope International University by scores of 3-2 and 4-2 on Tuesday.
Biola improves to 27-23 on the season and to 8-10 in GSAC play while the Royals drop to 14-29 and 2-16 in the conference.
Roberts waited for her final at-bat at Freedom Field, belting a 3-1 pitch over the right-center field fence. She snapped a tie with Amerra Kesterson who had also hit 10 home runs back in the 2006 season. The solo shot accounted for the final run in Biola's 4-2 win in the second game. She went 3-for-6 on the day.
In addition,
Jillian Storm took back the career steals record from teammate
Lauren Gandy, collecting four stolen bases on the day to give her 78 in her career--one more than Gandy's 77. Storm also continues to lead the NAIA with 54 stolen bases on the season.
Biola received a solid outing from
CeCe Luster in the first game. Luster, who came on after Roberts was given the start on senior day, pitched the final six innings, allowing two unearned runs on two hits while striking out five to earn the win.
Luster drove in the first run of the contest as well. Storm led off with a single, stole second and moved to third on a ground out. She then came around to score on a perfectly placed squeeze bunt to make it 1-0 in the bottom of the first.
A pair of errors allowed the Royals to score an unearned run in each the fourth and fifth innings, taking a 2-1 lead.
Biola came back in the bottom of the sixth inning, taking the run back with a two-run inning. Luster led off the frame with a double to left center, followed by a single to center by Roberts to put runners on the corners. After Roberts stole second,
Shaylynn Weststeyn drew a walk to load the bases with no out. One out later, pinch-hitter
Sam Roberts forced in a run with a bases-loaded walk to tie the score. After the Royals were able to get one more out,
Chelsea Limm drew another bases-loaded walk to make it a 3-2 game.
Luster then closed out the game with a 1-2-3 seventh to secure the victory.
In the second game, Hope opened the scoring with a run in the top of the first off Weststeyn.
Biola got that run back in the bottom of the inning thanks to three errors by Hope. The Eagles tacked on another run in the second as Weststeyn helped out her own cause with a monster home run to deep left field. Biola made it a 3-1 game in the third in a near carbon copy of its first-inning run in the opener. Storm singled, stole second and third, then came around to score on a squeeze by Luster.
After Hope International pulled within one thanks to an unearned run in the top of the fourth, Roberts capped the scoring with her record-setting home run.
Weststeyn allowed just one earned run on eight hits over seven innings, striking out four.
Biola closes out the regular season next Thursday, traveling to Azusa to take on arch-rival Azusa Pacific in a GSAC doubleheader beginning at 4:00 p.m.
