Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 LA MIRADA, Calif. --- It's all so new, it's all so fresh and so far it is all so successful, as No. 14 Biola Softball begins its 2015 campaign with two dramatic victories over La Sierra University at Freedom Field.
 
Uncharacteristically, the Eagles fell behind in both contests before Biola's bats began to produce in a big way off LSU's pitcher, Vanessa Froussine. Froussine blew leads in both games to get the loss in Biola's 5-4 and 7-5 victories.
 
"We're still trying to figure out who we are this year," said Head Coach Lorie Coleman. "You are never quite sure until you get into game play. I was glad to see that we do produce runs. I was thinking we'd be able to do that a lot better this year."
 
Reba DePriest got the ball to start game one, and the senior All-American wend the distance to get her first victory of the season. It did not come easily as some struggles in the field, three errors, helped the Golden Eagles get out to a 3-0 lead in the third inning and LSU was able to extend its lead when the game rolled on.
 
Biola answered back immediately, posting two runs in the bottom half of that inning to pull back within one. Those runs came off the bats of Heather Hall, who had a dandy day at the dish, and Brooke Madrid. Hall hit a sacrifice fly and Madrid singled up the middle to score her sister.
 
DePriest got back to just humming along until LSU tagged her for another in top of the sixth, giving them a 4-2 lead and really putting the pressure on the Eagles' offense, which was not the team's strong suit a year ago.
 
However, things can change quickly when you bring in new faces. The new look Eagles' lineup strung five hits together in the bottom of the sixth to push three runs across the plate and get them the lead for the first time in the game. Kasey Hormel had a RBI double that scored freshman Bailey Dean, and Hall singled to tie the game by scoring Hormel. Brooke Madrid is the one who recorded what would be the game-winning hit when she took a 1-1 pitch up the middle to score her sister, Bria Madrid for the second time in that game.
 
DePriest got two lineouts and a groundout in the top of the seventh to get Biola off to a winning start to the afternoon.
 
"Last year our goal was to never allow more than two runs, because that's all we felt comfortable coming back from, but this year it looks like we can allow a little bit more and let our younger pitchers grown."
 
La Sierra again got on the board first in game two, but this was a much more threatening lead, as the Golden Eagles posted four runs in the first two innings off of Terri Van Dagens, who was making her first collegiate start. All four of those runs were scored before the first out of the inning was recorded, forcing Van Dagens to do some nifty pitching to get out of the jam. She ended up with a no decision after going 3.0 innings and allowing two earned runs. Her outing was an example of Coleman's ability to leave a younger pitcher in to grow.
 
It took the Eagles until the third inning to get themselves on the board, after getting runners on but failing to score in the first three innings, stranding three on the bases.
 
Bria Madrid began the inning with a walk, one of her three in the game, and got moved to scoring position by Dean. Hall hit one of two doubles in this one to score Madrid from second. Madrid scored four runs in the two contests. A popup and groundout killed that rally and left Hall sitting at second base.
 
After two outs and two walks to start the fourth inning, Anjie Amezquita came to the plate with a chance to reignite Biola's comeback attempt. She singled to the left side to score Iliana Morales and make it a 5-2 game with Biola still threatening.
 
Hall followed Amezquita and had another great at bat, doubling home three runs to tie the game at five. It was her fourth, fifth and sixth RBI of the afternoon.
 
The game two comeback was completed when Selina Sherlin got her only hit of the game, a two-run homerun to left field, to get the Eagles their final 7-5 advantage.
 
"We had confidence that we could hang in there all the way to the end and then pull it out," said Coleman. "Selina was struggling and we were just waiting for her to break out. She did just that in her last at bat and came through with the winning runs."
 
Kendall Maddox was the standout in the circle in game two, facing 12 batters in three innings of work in relief of Van Dagens. She allowed just one hit, one hit-by-pitch and one walk in her time in the circle. She was the pitcher of record for Biola when Sherlin hit her bomb in the sixth and gets a win in her first outing of the year.
 
Kimmy Triolo closed it out in the top of the seventh, slicing and dicing the Golden Eagles hitters with a powerful fastball. She struck out two in a perfect inning to earn the save.
 
Biola begins 2-0 and drops La Sierra to 0-8 on the year. The Eagles host Embry-Riddle tomorrow at noon. ERAU is fresh off a sweep at the hands of Hope International, losing 10-2 and 6-3 to the Royals on Friday.