Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 LA MIRADA, Calif. --- Head Coach Jay Sullenger faced a tough decision headed into Monday's afternoon doubleheader with College of Idaho. The first-year head coach knew he had today's games, Wednesday's game and three games on Friday and Saturday this week, and he needed to somehow piece together a pitching staff puzzle.
 
Sullenger made the call to start Sean Rothfuss and Tyler Bernheisel for the beginning of the week action. His decision paid off as both guys threw strong games and went into the late innings, albeit in losing efforts.
 
The two pitchers were saddled with the losses to the Yotes due to the Eagles' inability to gain any momentum, or consistency, at the plate. Biola dropped a goose egg in game one, falling 5-0 to CI. The team scratched out two runs in the late game, but still could not outscore the Yotes' three scores.
 
"We knew this was going to be a crazy stretch of games, so I was really concerned with what it was going to be like to stretch out pitching," said Sullenger. "To get the starts that we got today in midweek games was great. You can't ask to get better starts than we got today."
 
Rothfuss took the ball for Biola and went 7.1 innings for the Eagles, throwing heat to strike out four batters and give up just six hits. Most importantly, he ate up innings for Biola, conserving some bullpen arms for later in the week. He was tagged for four earned runs on the afternoon, but held the Yotes to just one through his first 21 outs.
 
When Bernheisel was called upon in game two he did much of the same for the Eagles. The junior left-handed pitcher threw all but five outs of the seven-inning contest, allowing just three hits and three runs in his outing. He was especially strong in the early going, not allowing a hit to the Yotes until the top of the fifth inning.
 
Game one was all about the ability of the Yotes' pitchers to work their way out of jams throughout the contest. Biola got nearly as many hits as College of Idaho, but failed to put any runs on the board, leaving 10 guys on base to end innings throughout the game. There was only two innings that saw the Eagles not leave runners on base.
 
College of Idaho got one run in the first and one in the seventh before they broke the game open with three in the eighth. Markus Lively, the Yotes' reliever shut Biola down over the eighth and ninth, allowing just a single to Johnny Farrington in the ninth.
 
 
"We are going to have to figure out how to execute better and score some runs," said Sullenger. "You rarely see baseball this clean and good without getting the good results. We have had a lot of quality starts and great pitching and just are not scoring any runs."
 
Game two was another tight one throughout, as both teams got runs on the board through the first two innings and then struggled to get anything started for the majority of the rest of the game.
 
A Luke Klocek single in the bottom of the second scored David McNeill to give Biola its very first run of the day. It was McNeill's fourth run of the season and Klocek's third RBI.
 
He would tack on his fourth rib-eye when he doubled home Tanner Swire in the fourth to put the Eagles ahead 2-1. This was the team's first lead since they led Westmont 2-0 at the out start of that series finale this Saturday.
 
Biola eventually stormed back with a seventh-inning rally and walkoff win in that contest. They were hoping to replicate that again today, after they found themselves on the bad side of a 3-2 game.
 
No late-inning magic was to be had today as Biola was retired in order in the seventh to drop the team to 3-7 on the season. The Yotes improve to 4-0 after sweeping both of their California two-game series'.
 
Biola resumes action with a single game against Bethesda on Wednesday afternoon. The Flames will visit Eagles Diamond for the first time this season. First pitch is slated for 2 p.m.