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Box Score 2 LA MIRADA, Calif. --- Biola wrapped up its four-game GSAC series against Point Loma Nazarene University by splitting a pair of 8-4 games, losing the first game but winning the second on Saturday afternoon at Eagles Diamond.
The Eagles improve to 22-24 on the season and retain third place in the conference with a 15-13 record. The Sea Lions finish the day with a 17-28 mark and are 9-19 in GSAC play.
Drake Fages helped pace the Biola offense by going 3-for-9 with a pair of home runs to give him one in each game of the series and five on the season. Mac Sullivan and Michael Annunziata each added four hits in seven at-bats.
Biola opened the first game with three runs in the bottom of the first and appeared to be ready to cruise to its third-straight win against the Sea Lions. Fages got the ball rolling with a two-run home run. Annunziata would drive home another later inning the inning with a single to make it 3-0.
Despite putting a runner on in each of the next five innings the Eagles could not add on. Meanwhile, Biola starter Nick Turner was cruising, allowing just two hits over the first seven innings.
But the wheels came off quickly in the top of the eighth inning. With a runner on second and one out, Point Loma's bats came alive, stringing together seven-straight singles to tie the game and take the lead. The Sea Lions would add two more in the ninth while Biola tacked on one final run as Fages drove home his third run of the game with a single.
Turner suffered the loss to fall to 3-5 on the season while Point Loma starter Tyler Garkow pitched a complete game to improve to 4-8.
It was the Sea Lions' turn to jump out to the early lead in game two, scoring two runs in the top of the second. Fages hit his fourth home run in as many games, belting a solo shot to left.
Point Loma answered back with a run in the top of the third and loaded the bases with one out. On came Kevin Ryan in relief of starter Javier Martinez. Ryan was able to work out of the jam with an infield pop up and a ground to keep it a 3-1 game.
In the bottom of the fourth, Biola rallied and took the lead for good. Nick Coyveau and Sullivan opened the inning with back-to-back singles. Mike Lopez executed a perfect sacrifice bunt to advance them 90 feet. Annunziata singled to right to drive home the first run of the inning. Paul Slater then gave Biola the lead with a double to right-center to plate two and give the Eagles a 4-3 lead.
After a walk, Johnny Farrington then pulled off a suicide squeeze to score Slater and Fayard then drove home another run with a single to left to take 6-3 lead.
Point Loma got an unearned run in the sixth inning to cut the gap to two, but Biola would get that run back and more. Annunziata picked up his second hit in as many at bats, leading off the inning with a single. After a sacrifice bunt, Benji Sutherland singled up the middle to put runners on the corners. Farrington again squeezed home a run with a hard bunt to second base. Fayard followed with a double to right center to bring home the final run of the game.
Ryan picked up the win in relief, allowing just one unearned run on four hits over the final 4-2/3 innings to improve to 2-4 on the season.
The doubleheader split put the all-time series between the two schools at an even 91-91. The teams are not likely to regularly meet after this season as Point Loma Nazarene heads to the NCAA next season.
The Eagles play their final games of the regular season next week, taking on San Diego Christian College in a four-game GSAC series. The first two games are in La Mirada on Thursday with a nine-inning/seven-inning doubleheader beginning at 12:00 p.m. The series concludes in El Cajon on Saturday with two nine-inning games starting at 11:00 a.m.
