Box Score IRVINE, Calif. --- Biola's impressive run through the 2013 GSAC/CalPac Softball Postseason Tournament came to a sudden end on Saturday afternoon as No. 2-seed Simpson got a walk-off single with one-out in the bottom of the seventh to beat the sixth-seeded Eagles 1-0.
The Biola season comes to and with a record of 25-28, finishing as one of the final three teams in the NAIA Qualifying tournament.
CeCe Luster, who had missed two months due to injury before starting Biola's upset win over William Jessup on Friday, was called upon again on Saturday. Luster allowed one unearned run on six hits over seven innings, striking out three without walking a batter.
However, the Eagles were again unable to figure out the Redhawks' pitchers, managing just three hits in the contest.
It was a quick game with neither team having many chances early on. Simpson had the first real chance, putting a runner on third base with one out in the fifth. But a pair of groundouts ended the threat and kept the game scoreless.
In the sixth, the Redhawks were at it again. After the first batter reached on a Biola error followed by a single to left, Simpson sacrificed the runners into scoring position with one out. But a squeeze bunt attempt was snuffed out by the Eagles as Luster quickly fielded the ball and flipped it home where Bria Madrid placed the tag. A ground out ended the inning.
Biola put together its best inning in the seventh as Luster and Bria Madrid each singled to put two on with one out. A ground out moved the runners to second and third with two out, but a pop out ended the inning.
Simpson led off the seventh with what looked to be a routine grounder to first but a late-covering fielder and a bad throw on top of that put the runner at second base. A sacrifice bunt moved the runner to third with one out and an RBI-single to left by Noel Montes brought in the winning run.
Luster had two of Biola's three hits in the game to finish the season with an impressive .408 batting average. Since returning from injury, she went 15-for-33 (.455 average) and scored six runs and drove in four.
