LA MIRADA, Calif. --- A day after No. 8 California Baptist rode its ace to a win, No. 7 Biola did the same with Kevin Ryan pitching 6-2/3 strong to lead the Eagles to a 6-2 victory on Thursday to even the four-game GSAC series between the conference's top two teams.

The Eagles, ranked No. 7 in the latest NAIA National poll, improve to 24-12 and move back into first place on their own, one game ahead of the Lancers with an 18-6 conference record. California Baptist, which is ranked No. 8 in the same poll, saw its five-game winning streak come to an end and drops to 31-10 and to 18-8 in the conference.

Ryan was solid, allowing just two runs on solo home runs over 6-2/3 innings to improve to 6-0 on the season. He recorded three strikeouts and scattered seven hits to earn the victory.

Biola provided the offense by scoring six runs for the second-straight game. The Eagles tallied their first run early in the game as Michael Andrews scored on a wild pitch to give the home team a 1-0 lead.

Biola then broke the game open in the fourth, batting around for three runs. Drake Fages opened the inning with a single but the next two Eagles struck out. Facing an 0-2 count, Mac Sullivan came through with a double down the left-field line, scoring Fages from first just ahead of the tag at the plate.

A fielding error extended the inning, allowing Johnny Farrington a chance to drive home Sullivan with a single to left. After an intentional walk to Garrett Leon to load the bases, Andrews drew a walk to force home the third run of the inning, putting Biola up 4-0.

Cal Baptist got on the board in the sixth as 2010 GSAC Player of the Year Brian Sharp belted a solo home run to left to cut the lead to 4-1. The Lancers would tally another in the seventh as pinch-hitter Matt Daugherty swung at the first pitch he saw and got a ball up high enough in the strong winds to just get it over the fence in left.

That would be it for Ryan with Jonathan Cade coming on in relief. The Lancers were able to load the bases after that thanks to Biola miscues. Cole Bullard appeared to pop out harmlessly on the infield but was awarded first on catcher's interference. Ryan Douglass then struck out, but reached first on a wild pitch and both runners advanced 90 feet on a throwing error by Brian Loard. After a walk loaded the bases, Cade was able to end the threat by getting Sharp to line out sharply to third.

Biola added an insurance run in the seventh with two out as Fages doubled to left, then came around to score on a pinch-hit single by Boone Farrington. Farrington, who had missed over a week due to injury, sent a solid single to center before being replaced with a pinch-runner.

The Eagles would tack on one more run in the eighth as Benji Sutherland drew a lead-off walk and came around to score on a double by Johnny Farrington. 

Cameron McVey shut the door for the Eagles, picking up his ninth save of the season, pitching a near-flawless final two innings. After hitting the first batter he faced in the eighth, McVey retired the next six hitters--two by strikeout--to end the game.

Fages had a solid afternoon, going 2-for-4 with a double, single and two runs scored. Johnny Farrington collected a pair of hits in four at-bats as well, driving in two runs.

The Lancers were held to just two runs on seven hits just 24 hours after tallying 10 runs on 13 hits in the opener. It was just the 10th time in 41 games Cal Baptist had scored two or fewer runs.

The two teams close out the series with a doubleheader in Riverside on Saturday beginning at Noon. Biola needs just a split of the two games to remain in first place.