Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2
LA MIRADA, Calif. --- Biola's pitching continued to shine, holding The Master's College to just one run over 16 innings on Saturday to take both games of a GSAC doubleheader by scores of 9-1 and 4-0, giving the Eagles a four-game series sweep and a share of second-place in the conference.
Biola improves to 17-16 on the season with the wins and moves into a tie for second in the GSAC with a 10-6 conference mark. The Eagles are tied with Concordia for second with the two beginning a four-game series on Thursday.
The Mustangs suffer their seventh-straight loss and fall to 20-13, 9-10 in conference play.
The Biola pitching was once again solid. After allowing just two runs through the first 19 innings of the series in Santa Clarita, the Eagles picked up right where they left off. Nick Turner went eight innings in game one, allowing one run on seven hits with five strikeouts to earn the victory. In game two, it was Javier Martinez tossing a scoreless five innings, scattering four hits and striking out a pair for the win.
Jonathan Cade pitched a perfect ninth in game one to close it out with Erick Allen allowing one hit over two innings of work to wrap up game two.
Meanwhile the Biola offense did it's job. The Eagles broke the ice in game one with a run in the second. With two out, Biola batters drew back-to-back walks with Paul Slater driving home the first run of the game with a single.
The Eagles would add four more in the fifth. Benji Sutherland doubled home Slater for the inning's first run, then scored on a single by Vinnie Fayard. Nick Covyeau then plated two with a clutch two-out single to left to make it 5-0.
Biola closed out the game with a four-spot in the seventh. Fayard singled home the first run with his second hit of the day. Mac Sullivan came up big with a single to right to tack on another and Mike Lopez brought across the third run of the inning with a sacrifice fly. Slater would cap the scoring with an RBI-single, giving him a 2-for-3 day with two RBIs and a run scored.
In game two, the pitchers for both sides stole the show, both putting up zeros through the first four innings. Biola got on the board first in the fifth, batting around for four runs. Slater led the inning off with a single and was sacrificed to second by Johnny Farrington. Sutherland then brought him home with a double for the game's first run.
After a single by Michael Annunziata put runners on the corners, Fayard brought home one with a double to center. Covyeau followed with a two-run single to left to make it 4-0.
Martinez and Allen would not allow a Mustang past second base in the game, though things got a bit dicey in the sixth. After Martinez gave up a leadoff bloop double, Allen came on and got a strikeout, ground out and flyout to end the threat.
Biola finishes the series allowing just three runs on 23 hits over 35 innings--by far its best pitching performance of the season. Meanwhile, the Eagles scored 22 runs over that stretch to earn the sweep.
The Eagles now turn their sights on Concordia University, which has a matching 10-6 conference mark as the two are tied for second in the GSAC--four back of front-running Azusa Pacific. Biola hosts the first two games of the series on Thursday and Friday at 3:00 p.m., then heads to Concordia for a doubleheader on Saturday beginning at Noon.
