Box Score ATHERTON, Calif. --- A great starting pitching performance from Eric Diomartich and some strong innings in relief by Buddy Brouwer finally helped Biola Baseball break its six-game skid and become 1-0 in Golden State Athletic Conference play.
 
Biola hit the road to head up to Atherton for a three-game weekend series at Menlo College. The series got started with this game and will conclude with a doubleheader on Saturday.
 
The Eagles are considered the underdog in the series, as Menlo entered play with an 8-3 record powered by its strong staff and big bopping.
 
Strong pitching can stymie all expectations though, and that is exactly what happened with Diomartich's 6.1 innings of five-hit ball. His start carried the Eagles to a narrow 4-1 victory.
 
"Our pitching staff set the tone today," said Head Coach Jay Sullenger. "We started with Dio, who did a great job trusting his stuff and athleticism. Then Buddy came in and did what he does by pounding the zone with great energy."
 
The script for the day could've been completely different as Menlo got off to a very quick start with a solo homerun in the bottom of the second inning. That homerun felt like a familiar dagger to the Eagles as Menlo's starter accumulated five strikeouts and allowed Biola just one single in those first two innings.
 
After failing to bring around a leadoff double in the third inning Biola finally put a number on the scoreboard with a productive fourth inning. JD Meyer began the inning with a bang when he got a leadoff triple. A hit-by-pitch and a wild pitch got runners on second and third with nobody out.
 
It seemed as if the Eagles would squander another scoring opportunity when two quick strikeouts brought Eugene Shin to the dish. Shin hit the ball right back up the middle to get the Eagles on the board when Meyer came home.
 
An error by the Menlo shortstop, one of three Menlo errors, allowed Alec de Wattevile to score and gave Biola its first lead since the seventh inning of its first game against Antelope Valley back on Jan. 30.
 
A Sam Thorne single in the fifth and an Andres Rodriguez groundout in the eighth extended the lead to the 4-1 final.
 
Meyer and de Watteville were both tremendous in the middle of the order for coach Sullenger. The two junior transfers both had multiple hits and scored.
 
It was no easy task for Diomartich and Brouwer to hold this potent Menlo offense to just the one run. Dio walked seven guys and had to work his way out of tough jams throughout the afternoon. The Eagles' defense helped out by making plays to cause Menlo to leave 11 runners on base.
 
Brouwer came into the game with nobody on and one out in the seventh inning and got a 2.2 inning save. He's now up to eight scoreless innings of work this season and has two saves to his name.
 
"We really took care of the baseball and made big plays when they were needed," said Sullenger. "We were led by JD today and had great execution throughout the lineup. There's more in these bats, but we just played some solid Biola Baseball today."
 
Biola improved to 4-6 (1-0 GSAC) and Menlo dropped to 8-4 (0-1 GSAC). The two teams begin their doubleheader to close the series at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday.