Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 LA MIRADA, Calif. --- By the time five o'clock rolled around at Eagles Diamond, the Eagles were desperately in need of a good moment. Andrew Smith's walk-off single to left field in game two of this doubleheader sealed a 7-6 win, Biola's first conference win of the season, to provide that good moment.
 
Vanguard took the early game 9-7 after a tremendous start from Eric Diomartich was spoiled by the explosive Lions offense in the latter innings. Vanguard built itself a 9-1 lead headed into the bottom of the ninth, but when Head Coach Jay Sullenger inserted four straight pinch hitters the Eagles' offense got a spark, leading to six ninth inning runs to make the opener respectable.
 
"This series was a little disappointing as a whole, as we wanted to take more than one out of three from these guys," said Sullenger. "It's tough when you start conference play as your second, third and fourth games of the year. We will work out these bugs."
 
Game one began just as yesterday's afternoon game, low-scoring with solid pitching on both sides. Diomartich went six innings of three-hit ball, featuring a blistering fastball and some nasty off-speed stuff. He racked up six strikeouts to just one walk and retired the other Lions batters he faced with five outs in the air and six on the ground. He held the Lions to just one run, but was saddled with the loss because it was 1-0 when he left the game.
 
Vanguard's Scott Torrey was just as impressive, going seven innings with six strikeouts and one run allowed. The one run he gave up was a big one as Andrew Frank solo homered in the seventh, the Eagles' first big fly of the 2015 campaign. Frank ended that game 2-for-3 with the run and RBI.
 
After the starters exited the game things got crazy. Biola's bullpen allowed two or more runs in each of the last three innings, helping the Lions gather their 9-1 lead heading into the final three outs.
 
Biola's bats, which had been asleep since Rob Groeschell's game-winning hit in San Marcos last week, woke up in a big way in the ninth, requiring three Vanguard pitchers to finish the last three outs.
 
Colin Brecheen got things started with a walk, which was followed by a Daniel Rasmussen double, a Tim Glenn walk and an Aaron Chavez dribbler that scored a run when the Lions made a play at second base.
 
An Austin Jones single earned him an RBI and made it 9-3 before a Tanner Swire single added another run. The big damage came on Groeschell's three-run bomb off Roberto Johnson, but that was all the scoring to be had in the game one loss.
 
"When the bats finally did get going, it was kind of a different story," said Sullenger. "We emptied the bench and got five good at bats from five young players."
 
The bats did not slow down at all in game two, as the Eagles posted seven runs for the third time in four games this season.
 
Most of the scoring came in the opening innings as the teams traded the lead back-and-forth twice. Vanguard scored first off of game two starter Jesse Yancosek, getting one run in the first, before the Eagles got a two-spot in the bottom of the inning with RBI coming from newcomers Jeremy Barth and Rawley Hughes.
 
The Lions uses a homerun to take the lead right back with three runs in the second, but Biola got a massive three-run double off the bat of Tucie Shelp to take the lead and swing the momentum into Biola's side of the field for good.
 
"We definitely carried momentum from that late surge in the first game, and it helped us get the bats going right away in game two," said Sullenger.
 
After more trading of runs in the middle innings, the Eagles had a chance to win it in the bottom of the seventh after Vanguard got an unearned run off Daniel Jang in the top of the seventh to make it a 6-5 Lions lead.
 
Hughes walked to lead off the inning and was pinch run for by speedster Austin Jones. Jones advanced to second on a beautiful sacrifice bunt by Andrew Frank, who after homering earlier in the day proved he can do it all.
 
Then Jimmy Gallarda came through with a one-out double that knotted the game at six and began to setup the scenario that had Andrew Smith coming to the plate with the bases loaded and one out.

The senior transfer hit a liner through the gap on the left side and the Eagles walked off winners. Smith ended that game 3-for-4 with two runs scored and the walk-off RBI.
 
Not to be overlooked was a strong middle relief performance by Buddy Brower that lasted two innings, held the Lions to one hit and one run. It was the most effective outing of his Biola career four games in.
 
The split moved Biola to 2-2 (1-2 GSAC) and pushed Vanguard to 5-1 (2-1 GSAC). Biola's season continues on Tuesday with a doubleheader at home against Antelope Valley.