LA MIRADA, Calif. ---
Drake Fages hit two home runs including a third-inning grand slam and drove in seven runs as No. 12 Biola cruised to a 13-1 victory over The Master's College in a GSAC game on Thursday afternoon at Eagles Diamond.
The Eagles pick up their seventh win in their last eight games and improve to 32-17 on the season. Biola is now 24-10 in GSAC play, but still trails first-place California Baptist by a game as the Lancers dispatched Point Loma Nazarene 13-5 earlier in the day. The Mustangs drop to 24-24 and to 15-19 in GSAC play.
Fages was just one RBI off the school record of eight, hitting a grand slam, a two-run home run and driving in one more on a sacrifice fly to the right field fence. Overall, he was 3-for-4 before being lifted for a pinch-hitter late in the game.
Biola's offense continued to roll, scoring in double-figures for the third-straight game. The Eagles have tallied 40 runs over the last 20 innings and have scored at least seven runs in each of the last eight games.
All of the offense was a welcome sight to Biola starter
Nick Turner, who had received just two total runs of support in his three losses this year. The sophomore surrendered just one run on seven hits over eight inning and matching a season-high with eight strikeouts.
The Eagles took a little longer to get on the board than in Wednesday's game when they recorded 12 in the first two innings. This time, Biola managed its first runs in the third. The frame started out with
Garrett Leon singling to center and
Benji Sutherland being hit by a pitch.
Mike Lopez then sacrificed the pair into scoring position with a solid bunt and
Michael Andrews drove home the first run of the game with a ground out to second.
But the Eagles did not stop there. Back-to-back walks to Boone and
Johnny Farrington loaded the bases with two out for Fages, who drove a 3-2 pitch just over the center-field fence to make it 5-0.
The Mustangs would get their lone run of the game in the top of the fourth as leadoff batter Spencer Downs hit a home run to center to make it 5-1. They made things interesting in the fifth as the first two batters reached base with singles. However, a heads-up play by Turner on a popped up bunt turned into a double play as he allowed the ball to drop and recorded outs at third and at second.
Biola then scored three more runs in the bottom of the fifth. Andrews led off the frame with a double was moved to third by a sacrifice bunt off the bat of
Johnny Farrington.
Boone Farrington then hit a sharp grounder to short with Andrews heading home on contact. But the throw home was wide, allowing Andrews to score. Fages then stepped into a 3-0 pitch and belted it well over the left-field fence to make it 8-1.
In the sixth, the Eagles were able to score another three thanks to sacrifice flies by Lopez and Fages and a bases-loaded hit by pitch by
Boone Farrington.
Biola capped the scoring in the seventh thanks to a two-run single off the bat of
Johnny Farrington.
The Eagles were able to tally their 13 runs on just 10 hits thanks in large part to six walks and five hit batters by The Master's pitchers. Fages had two of those hits while
Johnny Farrington added two in two at bats, also drawing a pair of walks.
The GSAC champion will be determined on the final day of the regular season. California Baptist holds a one-game lead over Biola with both playing doubleheaders on Saturday. The Lancers are at Point Loma Nazarene while the Eagles travel to Santa Clarita to close out the series with The Master's. Biola can share the conference crown if both Biola sweeps and CBU loses once and the Eagles can outright win the GSAC crown with a sweep and a PLNU sweep over the Lancers.