Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 IRVINE, Calif. --- Biola Baseball had a lead by the third inning in all three games at No. 17 Concordia this weekend, the only problem was that it could not hold that lead in any of those three games. This culminated in two CUI wins (6-4, 7-6) to conclude a series sweep of Biola on Saturday.
 
"We continue to get better, but we aren't playing well enough to get over the hump," said Head Coach Jay Sullenger. "It's been a lot better than the first time through the GSAC, but we're just not doing the things you need to do to get the wins over ranked teams."
 
Biola took a 2-0 lead in the second inning of the opener today as Andres Rodriguez singled with runners on second and third and Rob Groeschell later scored on a wild pitch.
 
BU had a lot of opportunities to take advantage of CUI mistakes on the afternoon, as the home team had six total errors and made that wild pitch.
 
Unfortunately, Biola also had six errors on the day, including one in the bottom of the eighth inning that allowed CUI to break what was a 4-4 tie ballgame to take the 6-4 lead it would ultimately cash in for a win.
 
The Eagles of Irvine got their leadoff man on via that error and then drove him home following two quick groundouts, making two unearned runs the difference in the game.
 
Biola got good production from the middle of its order in the losing effort, as its 5-6-7 hitters, Julian Jarrard, Rob Groeschell and Eugene Shin, each ended with two hits. They were the ones called upon to erase the two-run deficit in the top of the ninth, but they could not get it done as Tyler Mark earned his NAIA-leading 13^th save for CUI.
 
"Our big hits came earlier rather than later," said Sullenger. "No one really stands out today, because no one finished the job. We stopped playing bad baseball, but the results just haven't been in our favor."
 
Game two had a similar script, with BU taking an early lead and failing to close it out. This lead seemed to be bulletproof when Biola erased a CUI first inning run, which was earned with zero hits, by posting a five-spot in the top of the second.
 
Biola got five hits in the inning, highlighted by a three-run triple off the bat of Andy Smith, which brought around Tanner Swire, Paul Slater and Jimmy Gallarda. Gallarda and Swire drove in the other two runs in the inning.
 
"Our ability to take early leads was a product of taking good at bats and having the confidence we could win these games," said Sullenger.
 
Unfortunately, one CUI run in the second and three more in the fourth has the game deadlocked at five again headed into the final three innings of play.
 
Jeremy Barth broke that tie with a single that scored Tanner Swire after back-to-back Concordia errors in the top of the sixth, and with Gallarda on the mound BU seemed to be in position to finally steal one away from CUI.
 
Spencer Nielsen and Mitchell Esser had different plans, logging back-to-back hits in the bottom of the sixth to again grab at late lead for the host team, who trotted out its lockdown closer yet again in the seventh.
 
Mark walked Rodriguez, but got two strikeouts and a fly out to close the game for his second save of the day and 14^th of the season. Biola left 10 runners on in a frustrating one-run loss, their sixth of the season (3-6).
 
Biola falls to 13-22 (10-20 GSAC) and CUI uses the sweep to improve to 30-9 (22-8 GSAC). BU is back to the diamond on Tuesday for a road doubleheader at Antelope Valley, beginning at noon.