Box Score LA MIRADA, Calif. --- Biola picked up a big non-conference win on Tuesday, upsetting No. 11 Cal State San Marcos 5-3 behind a solid pitching performance by freshman
Josh Staumont at Eagles Diamond.
The Eagles snap a two-game losing streak and improves to 21-17 on the season. The Cougars fall to 22-6, suffering their fourth-straight loss after appearing as the No. 3-ranked team in the NAIA's first national ranking of the year last week. They fell to No. 11 in the poll released on Tuesday afternoon.
Staumont was solid again for Biola which provided enough offense for its freshman pitcher to give him his fifth win of the season. Senior Benji Sutherland played a large roll, going 3-for-4 with a double and two RBIs in the contest.
Biola got off to a quick start with a run in the bottom of the first inning. Vince Lawrence got things going by reaching on a one-out error and moved to third on a single by Sutherland. One out later, Michael Annunziata singled through the right-side of the infield to give Biola an early 1-0 lead.
Cal State San Marcos got on the board with a run in the top of the fourth and loaded the bases looking for more with one out. However, Staumont got a pop out and a strikeout to end the threat.
The Cougars loaded the bases again with one out in the top of the fifth inning, but again Staumont worked out of a jam as clean-up hitter Brandon Bentsen hit into a line-drive double play.
Biola took the lead back in the bottom of the fifth inning. With two out and runners at first and second, Sutherland hit a clutch double to the right-center field gap to make it 3-1.
CSUSM rallied in the seventh to score a run as a lead-off walk and triple chased Staumont and put a big run at third with no one out. Bryan Castelli came on and got a strikeout followed by a fly out to right which turned into a double play as Paul Slater gunned the runner at the plate to keep it a 5-3 game.
Castelli pitched the eight, allowing just one hit and Garrett Picha closed out the game with a 1-2-3 ninth inning to record his third save.
Staumont moves to 5-5 on the season with his second-straight quality start and third in his last four games. He went six-plus innings, allowing three runs on seven hits while striking out four.
Biola hits the road for a four-game, non-conference series at Simpson University in Redding. The series starts Thursday with a single game at 3:00 p.m. On Friday, the teams play a doubleheader beginning at 12:00 pm before closing out the series on Saturday with a single game at 11:00 a.m.
The Eagles return home to face No. 12 Concordia University on April 12-13 in the final home games of the 2013 season. Biola will honor long-time Head Coach John Verhoeven prior to the start of the game on Friday, then honor the team's seniors with a ceremony on Saturday. Friday's game begins at 3:00 p.m. and Saturday's doubleheader starts at 12:00 p.m.
