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Box Score 2 LA MIRADA, Calif. --- Biola scored early and often in a 17-2 blowout in game one and may or may not have lost the second game 4-3 in eight innings in a GSAC doubleheader against Vanguard University on Saturday afternoon at Eagles Diamond.
The Eagles finished the day at 14-10 and 6-9 in GSAC play while the Lions are 10-9 and 5-9.
While the final score for now in game two is a 4-3 Vanguard win, Biola played the final half inning under protest after the umpires awarded the go-ahead run on the final out of the top of the eighth inning.
With the bases loaded and two out in the top of the eighth, Vanguard's Ellis Whitman hit a chopper to third where Biola's David McNeill fielded and attempted to tag Bryce Arroyo going from second to third. Arroyo went around McNeill but missed third base on his slide, going past the base and into foul territory. As he attempted to get back to the base, McNeill tagged him for the final out.
The umpires determined that while Arroyo did not touch third base, the force was removed when he went past the base and awarded the run to the Lions, giving them a 4-3 lead heading into the bottom of the eighth. Biola protested the decision saying the force is not removed until the runner physically touches the base.
The Eagles got a one-out single in the bottom of the eighth, but could not score and the game ended with the Lions winning 4-3. However, the protest will be heard on Monday with a decision coming within a matter of days. If Biola wins the protest, the teams will pick up the game in the bottom of the eighth inning tied at 3-3 when they meet at Vanguard later this year. If the protest is denied, the Lions will hang on to the 4-3 win.
Biola put themselves into extra innings with an impressive come-back, scoring once in the sixth and twice in the seventh to tie the game.
Training 3-0 going into the sixth, Nick Oddo got the Eagles on the board with a solo home run to right--his second of the day--to make it 3-1.
After a 1-2-3 top of the seventh, Biola got the bottom of the inning started with a single by Johnny Farrington. One out later, Vince Lawrence singled through the right side followed by a walk to Benji Sutherland to load the bases with one out. After a fielder's choice out at the plate and brought Biola down to its final out, Sam Thorne came through clutch with a single up the middle to plate two and tie the game.
With runners at first and second, Michael Annunziata singled through the right-side, but the potential game-winning run was thrown out at the plate to end the threat and force extras.
Freshman Trevor Oaks appears to be saddled with the loss, falling to 1-3, allowing four runs on seven hits over eight innings, striking out three and walking one.
Biola's offense was on display in the first game of the doubleheader as the Eagles scored a season-high 17 runs to win the opener.
Oddo and Sutherland each finished with five RBIs in the game to pace the team.
Oddo picked up his first RBI to get the Eagles going in the first, singling through the right-side to score Paul Slater, who led the inning off with a double.
In the second, Lawrence picked up an RBI on a fielder's choice to make it 2-0, then Sutherland doubled home a pair of runs and Oddo brought home two more with a two-run homer to right.
The Eagles sent 10 men to the plate in the third and added six runs with Farrington opening the scoring with an RBI-single. Lawrence again followed with an RBI groundout and Sutherland doubled home two more runs followed by a two-run double by Oddo to make it 12-0.
Biola would tack on four more in the fourth with Slater singling home two runs followed by an RBI sacrifice fly and another run on an error to make it 16-0. The Eagles would cap the scoring with an unearned run in the fifth.
Biola starter Nick Turner picked up the win, snapping a two-game losing streak and improving to 4-2 on the season. He allowed four hits over six scoreless innings, striking out five.
Farrington reached base in five of seven plate appearances, going 3-for-5 with two walks and scoring three runs. Oddo finished the day with six RBIs, two runs, two home runs and a 1.375 slugging percentage.
The Eagles return to action on Friday, traveling to El Cajon to face San Diego Christian College in the first game of a three-game GSAC series. The teams conclude the series with a doubleheader on Saturday.
