LA MIRADA, Calif. --- Biola scored 18 runs and pounded out 24 hits but walked away with a split of a non-conference doubleheader with Patten University, winning the second game 11-2 after falling 12-8 in the opener on Saturday afternoon at Eagles Diamond.
The Eagles take two of three games from the Lions in the weekend series, improving to 30-17 on the season while dropping Patten to 21-25 overall. Biola records its 12th 30-win season in program history, all of which have come in the last 14 years under Head Coach John Verhoeven.
Biola dominated in the second game, which was shortened to five innings due to travel accommodations for Patten after game one ran long.
The Eagles opened the contest with six runs in the first inning after a first-inning run by Patten and cruised from there.
Benji Sutherland doubled to start things off and came around to score on a triple down the right-field line by
Michael Andrews. After a walk to
Boone Farrington,
Drake Fages cleared the bases with a shot off the top of the wall and over to make it 4-1.
Mac Sullivan followed with a singles as Biola hit for the cycle in the first five batters. Another walk put two on and a ground out by
Garrett Leon moved them to second and third with one out.
Johnny Farrington then drove the two home with a single to cap the scoring.
Patten scored once in the second to make it 6-2, but the Eagles came through with two in the fourth to stretch the lead back up to six by taking advantage of a pair of Patten errors. Biola then sent home three more runs in fourth to cap the scoring.
Brian Loard was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to drive home the first run while Leon followed with a two-run double.
With Patten needing to catch a flight back home, the game was called after the top of the fifth inning.
Alex Brueske picked up the win for the Eagles, allowing just two runs over five innings to improve to 5-0.
The first game lasted over 3-1/2 hours and proved to be nearly the exact opposite of Friday's game with Patten coming back from an 8-1 decifit after five innings to win 12-8.
Things started well for Biola in the first game. After allowing a run in the top of the third, Biola answered back by tying the game in the bottom of the frame.
Johnny Farrington doubled with one out to get the inning going and came around to score on a single by Andrews.
The Eagles then batted around for four runs in the fourth. Leon doubled home the first two runs of the inning and came around on a double by Brent Opdkye--the third-straight Biola double. After a ground out, Sutherland doubled home Opdyke to make it 5-1.
Biola would added three more runs in the fifth, batting around again. Leon again doubled, this time driving in one, followed by an RBI-single off the bat of
Johnny Farrington. The Eagles would add their third run on wild pitch and seemed to be cruising, up 8-1.
However, things changed dramatically in the sixth. With one out, Patten loaded the bases via two hits and walk. After a strikeout, an infield single plated the first run of the inning and chased Biola starter
Bobby O'Neill, who had thrown over 100 pitches and was solid up to that point.
Jonathan Cade came on in relief and quickly got an 0-2 count on Brian Mouton. But his next pitch ran in and hit Mouton to drive home another run. The next batter hit an easy tapper back to the mound, but it was mishandled and allowed a third run to come home.
In the seventh, Biola's defense struggled again as Patten came back and took the lead with a seven-run inning.After a single and a walk put the first two batters on, a wild pitch moved them into scoring position. The Lions loaded the bases as Fages tried to beat the runner at third back to the base on a routine grounder.
The next batter hit a grounder to short, but his throw to second was low and unable to be scooped out, allowing the first run to score. After a walk plated another run, a groundout made it a one run game at 8-7 with just one out. Biola pitcher
Kyle Atkins, who came on after the first two batters of the inning, got a strikeout for the second out and the inning appeared to be over as a routine grounder went to second. But instead of going to first, the throw went to second instead and was too late to get the out, allowing the tying run to score.
The miscue opened the door as Patten then scored two more on a double by David Whiteside and added one more on a single by Zach Plancich. When the dust settled, Patten was back on top with an 11-8 lead, scoring seven runs on just three hits.
After scoring eight runs on 12 hits in the first five inninsg, Biola managed just one hit the rest of the way.
Atkins took the hard-luck loss to fall to 6-4 despite not allowing an earned run of the four that scored against him. O'Neill had a solid outing, leaving with the lead after allowing three earned runs over 5-2/3 innings.
Biola now heads into a crucial series to wrap up the regular season next week. The Eagles face The Master's College in a four-game GSAC series, trailing first-place California Baptist University by a single game in the GSAC standings. Biola hosts the Mustangs on Wednesday and Thursday at 3:00 p.m. then closes out the series with a doubleheader in Santa Clarita on Saturday at Noon.
