Box Score
LA MIRADA, Calif. --- It didn't begin according to plan, but it sure did end up that way, as Biola improved to 3-2 on the season with an 8-7 walk-off win at home against Antelope Valley.
 
The Pioneers got five of their seven runs in a nightmare of a second inning for the Eagles. Their first run scored before UAV even recorded a hit as the inning began with two walks, a wild pitch and two hit-by-pitches.
 
"We accomplished a lot today," said Head Coach Jay Sullenger. "Really, if you take away the second inning we played a very clean game. Just a lot of things transpired in that inning that really hurt the rest of the day as we were left playing catch-up."
 
After that inning the Eagles began to go to their bullpen-by-committee and it paid off with a few stellar performances. Biola used eight different pitchers to close out the day and got scoreless outings out of Andrew Smith, Buddy Brouwer, Jimmy Gallarda and Brandon Valente to keep the Pioneers off the board as the Eagles' offense chipped away at the lead.
 
The comeback attempt began modestly as it was actually a ground into a double play that scored Biola's first run of the game as Austin Jones crossed the plate in the second inning.
 
The next inning it got a little less modest as Julian Jarrard rocketed one out to left-center to make it a 5-3 game. It was his first homerun of the season and came in just his second at bat of the year.
 
"The offense looked really good," said Sullenger. "We had a lot of extra-base hits. It was also good to have Julian's presence in the lineup."
 
The Eagles traded a run for an out in the next frame as Rob Groeschell and Buddy Brouwer worked out of a runners on the corners jam. Biola quickly erased that run's impact with a Daniel Rasmussen suicide squeeze in the bottom half of the inning.
 
It was the fifth inning that saw the Eagles' persistence at the plate pay off as the comeback attempt was complete after a Jeremy Barth RBI double followed an Andrew Smith solo shot and tied the game at six.
 
Each team picked up one more run to create a tie game in almost total darkness heading into Biola's half of the ninth inning.

A tiring Julio Rivera stayed on the mound for the Pioneers to face the Eagles' 2-3-4 hitters. Rivera eventually was saddled with the loss and actually threw the most pitches on either team today, 58, as UAV's fifth reliever.
 
Tucie Shelp led of the inning with a fly out before Jarrard reached on a throwing error. Jones pinch-ran for the Eagles' big first baseman, but was caught stealing at second base to create a two out no one on situation that made it seem this game would be suspended due to darkness.
 
However, a Barth single and Rawley Hughes walked had Paul Slater coming to the plate with the game-winning run in scoring position. He singled up the middle on the first pitch from Rivera to send the Eagles walking off with a win for the second game in a row.
 
Biola got two homeruns in this one, pushing the team's season total up to four after the 2014 team hit just seven big flies all season.
 
Slater and Barth, the tandem who combined on the game-winning run, also led the team offensively throughout, each recording three hits on the day. The Eagles outhit the Pioneers 13-10 in a day gushing with offense. Eight Biolans reached base at least once.
 
The Pioneers drop to 1-4 on the season and Biola gains some momentum heading into an important Golden State Athletic Conference series at The Master's College this weekend.