Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 LA MIRADA, Calif. --- In what is sure to be an ultra-competitive Golden State Athletic Conference, Biola Softball had to do everything it could to start off on the right foot in an evening doubleheader with Hope International on Saturday night.
 
The Eagles, who came into the day winners of five contests in a row, definitely made a statement as the defeated the Royals 4-3 and 8-4 to begin GSAC play 2-0. It was another interesting night at Freedom Field too, as the two teams played right up until 10:00 p.m. and the lights shut off two seconds after Areana Ramos came charging on to make the final out of the top of the seventh inning.
 
The lights stranding the Eagles' defensive players in the field gave the feel of a walk-off win in game two, while game one actually was a walk-off as an Anjie Amezquita RBI double in the bottom of seventh broke what was a 3-3 tie to lead the Eagles to victory.
 
Hope International got out to a 3-0 lead in game one thanks to a run in the second and two more in the fifth. Andi Hormel began the Eagles' comeback attempt by reaching base with a hit-by-pitch to lead off the bottom of the fifth. After she reached and one quick out was made five batters in a row reached base, culminating with an Amezquita double that pushed home a third run of the inning and tied the game at three.
 
Paula Damas took over for Kimmy Triolo in the top half of the sixth and held the Royals scoreless over the final two innings to earn the win in the opener. The win pushed the freshman to 2-2 on the year.
 
Things were not looking promising initially in the Eagles' half of the seventh inning as they made two quick outs and just had a runner on first base when Amezquita stepped into the box. That runner on first, a pinch runner Briana Acuna, stole second base and all of a sudden Amezquita saw her opportunity.
 
She found the gap with a double, drove Acuna home and set the Eagles celebrating their first conference win of the season. Amezquita was 2-for-3 with two RBI in the first game and added two hits in three at bats in game two also as she was hot hitting all night long.
 
Game two was a much different plot than the first as the Eagles reversed an early 1-0 HIU lead with five runs spread across the second and third to put themselves in a firm position for the sweep.

Terri Van Dagens started the game, but got replaced by Kaile Chavez after retiring two batters in the first. Chavez had a stellar outing as she worked four innings and allowed just four hits and a run to the Royals hitters.
 
She held HIU at bay and maintained the 5-1 lead until her final inning of work (the fifth) when she started to get into a bit of trouble. She had loaded the bases, allowed a run and could not quite get the final out of the inning when Head Coach Lorie Coleman went to Damas in relief again.
 
Damas quickly got out of the bases loaded jam with a groundout right back to her. However, the Royals were able to put up two runs against her in the sixth inning to tighten things to just a one-run Biola lead.
 
The Eagles offense answered the call in their half of the sixth as Hailey Boyett, Andi Hormel and Kasey Hormel each got RBI singles to extend the lead back to 8-4 and put all the pressure squarely back onto the Royals as the headed back out to hit with just three offensive outs yet.
 
Damas ensured HIU did not rise to the occasion by setting their hitters down in order in the seventh to end the game and record her second save of the season.
 
Amezquita, Ramos, Alexis Parker, Boyett and Selina Sherlin each had multiple hits in the second game as Biola managed an astounding 14 hits against Royals pitching. Biola's pitching was wonderful yet again in holding an offense that was averaging almost eight runs-per-game to just 3.5 runs-per-game in the doubleheader sweep. The key to Biola's ability to keeping HIU off the board was limiting the production of their best hitter, Crystal Cano. They held Cano to just one hit in each ballgame. She came in hitting .667 with 15 extra-base hits and Eagles pitching held her to two singles.
 
Biola improves to 13-4-2 on the season and 2-0 in GSAC play. Hope International falls to 6-4 and 0-2 in conference. Next up for the Eagles is a big road test as they travel to play a Vanguard team that is 11-3 and has won eight in a row. The Eagles and Lions go head-to-head at 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday.