Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 LA MIRADA, Calif. --- It was a bitter end to play at Eagles Diamond for the season as Biola lost twice to CSU San Marcos on Wednesday to split the season series with the Cougars.
 
The games came to a heartbreaking conclusion as in the final inning, with two outs, Ray Patchen stepped into one and sent a three-run shot over the left field fence to turn a two-run deficit into a one-run advantage for CSUSM. The Cougars won that second game 8-7 after getting a 7-1 victory in the opener.
 
Head Coach Jay Sullenger went with Buddy Brouwer on the bump in the opener. It was the southpaw's second start of the season. He allowed eight hits over the first four innings to the best-hitting team in the NAIA, but he was able to hold them to just three runs.
 
Unfortunately, he was going up against Emili Esquibel, who came into the day with a 9-1 record and was ready to pitch from the get-go. Esquibel went all nine innings for Coach Dennis Pugh, allowing nine hits to the Eagles, but holding them to just a run.
 
Biola's lone run came on Andy Smith's fourth dinger of the season. The Eagles' designated hitter hit an absolute bomb over the left field wall in the fourth inning, which made it a 3-1 affair at the time.
 
CSUSM would tack on three more in the sixth and one in the eighth to get the game to its 7-1 final score. Lost in the score line is the three innings of great relief pitching from Sean McCarrell, who allowed just two hits and one run to the Cougars. That one run came as a runner scored from second after fantastic snag at the wall by center fielder Paul Slater.
 
Game two was a much closer ball game as Eric Diomartich took the hill and benefitted from some very quick offense from the Eagles.
 
Biola took advantage of a CSU San Marcos error in the outfield to plate one run in the first inning and then knocked the Cougars' starter out of the game with five runs in the second frame.
 
The Eagles sent nine ment to the plate in the inning, beginning with an Andres Rodriguez walk, Rob Groeschell single and Rawley Hughes bunt single to load the bases.
 
A walk brought in the first run and forced the pitching change for CSUSM. The new pitcher came in with a strikeout, but then surrendered a perfectly placed double to Julian Jarrard that scored two runs. One more strikeout was followed by yet another two-RBI double, this time off the bat of Jeremy Barth. Then, another strikeout ended the inning as CSUSM struck out the side but allowed five runs in between, making it 6-0 Biola.
 
Things unraveled for Diomartich in the third and fourth innings as he allowed five runs. Biola picked up one more run in the bottom of the fourth to make it 7-5. Diomartich still had a short leash when he came out for the fifth frame and was pulled in favor of Daniel Jang after allowing a leadoff singles.
 
Jang got a fly out and then a double play to end the inning without any damage, starting his three-inning outing on the right foot.
 
Unfortunately, things didn't stay on the right foot as Jang got into a precarious situation in the top of the seventh by allowing a leadoff single of his own. Jang was able to get two quick outs and it seemed the Cougars were up against the wall being down to their last out. However, a single was followed by Patchen's two run frozen rope line drive homerun and all of a sudden the Cougars had the lead.
 
Biola went down 1-2-3 in its half of the seventh and it was all over. Biola falls to 20-30 with the two losses and CSUSM improves to 31-14.
 
The Eagles conclude their 2015 season with three games at William Jessup this weekend.