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Micah

Baseball Brandon Taylor, Sports Information Assistant

Beyer, Eagles Strike for Series Win at Vanguard

Beyer jumps to 2-0 with seven inning, 11 strikeout start in game one.

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 COSTA MESA, Calif. --- Strong starting pitching and unrelenting offense. Biola established its winning formula just six games into the season on Saturday by splitting the doubleheader against No. 20 Vanguard, winning 4-3 in the first game before Vanguard got off the mat to hand Biola a 13-3 loss in the second.

The Eagles now sit at a 5-1 record after winning both of the three-game weekend series that began their schedule.

"I'm really proud of our guys and I think we feel the momentum building in many ways," said Head Coach Jay Sullenger. "It would have been nice to get the last one. But we got two quality starts and it was encouraging to have the offense come alive this weekend, so it will be good to start conference play next week with this feeling."

Biola took game one behind Micah Beyer's seven inning attack on Vanguard batters. The junior righty had bite on all three pitches in his repertoire and collected six strikeouts in his first four innings of work. Beyer went through 3.2 innings before the Lions got their first hit.

When Josh Weeks' RBI triple in the fourth earned the Lions' first hit and first run, Biola had already taken a 2-0 lead with runs in the top of the previous two innings. The Eagles scored their run in the third on a wild pitch after pressuring starter Monty McCasland into throwing three walks. Then Rawley Hughes doubled the lead with a RBI single in the fourth that scored Jerron Largusa.

Biola's offense would tack on two more runs over the next three innings, but the middle innings really belonged to Beyer while he continued to mow down opposing batters. Beyer retired seven in a row during one stretch over his final three innings and finished his outing by ringing up one final Lion to reach 11 punch-outs.

"Micah has been sharp since we started the spring and he really pounded the zone today with command of three pitches," said Sullenger. "All of his pitches really complimented one another and that made it difficult for hitters to cue in on one pitch."

Beyer's game score of 82 is the best mark Biola has seen in a start since former Tampa Bay Rays farmhand Eric Diomartich went 8 shutout innings against Arizona Christian on Feb. 8, 2014.  You can read more about game score here: http://www.fangraphs.com/library/pitching/game-score/

 


Following another RBI single from Hughes and a Sam Thorne homer, Vanguard brought it to a one-run gap with two tallies in the eighth inning. But after Buddy Brouwer worked out of the jam with a runner at third, Daniel Jang closed things out with a clean frame in the ninth for his second save.

Hughes went all day without being retired: 3-for-3 in game one with 2 RBI's and a two-run homerun in the fourth inning of game two. With Jerron Largusa adding his second round-tripper of the season in the fourth as well, the Eagles hit five homeruns on the weekend.

But Vanguard made sure it would not be the victim of Biola's second series sweep of the season. Four extra-base hits led to seven of the Lions 13 runs in game two and the six run fourth inning all but put the game away to result in the Eagles first loss of the season.

After the loss, Biola will regroup for a Tuesday matinee against Marymount College at 2:00 p.m.
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Players Mentioned

Eric Diomartich

#29 Eric Diomartich

LHP
6' 2"
Senior
L/L
Micah Beyer

#28 Micah Beyer

RHP
5' 11"
Junior
R/R
Buddy Brouwer

#48 Buddy Brouwer

LHP
6' 0"
Senior
L/L
Rawley Hughes

#19 Rawley Hughes

C/1B
6' 0"
Senior
R/R
Daniel Jang

#17 Daniel Jang

RHP/IF
5' 7"
Junior
R/R
Jerron Largusa

#77 Jerron Largusa

OF
6' 2"
Sophomore
R/R
Sam Thorne

#14 Sam Thorne

IF/RHP
5' 8"
Senior
R/R

Players Mentioned

Eric Diomartich

#29 Eric Diomartich

6' 2"
Senior
L/L
LHP
Micah Beyer

#28 Micah Beyer

5' 11"
Junior
R/R
RHP
Buddy Brouwer

#48 Buddy Brouwer

6' 0"
Senior
L/L
LHP
Rawley Hughes

#19 Rawley Hughes

6' 0"
Senior
R/R
C/1B
Daniel Jang

#17 Daniel Jang

5' 7"
Junior
R/R
RHP/IF
Jerron Largusa

#77 Jerron Largusa

6' 2"
Sophomore
R/R
OF
Sam Thorne

#14 Sam Thorne

5' 8"
Senior
R/R
IF/RHP
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