Box Score LA MIRADA, Calif. --- Coming into the season the pitching staff was going to be the spearhead for Biola. But it has been the Eagles' hitters who have taken the spotlight over the last week and they gave an encore performance on Tuesday with a 15-5 win over Marymount California.
The 17-10 Eagles are now 3-0 against the Mariners with two more matchups remaining on the schedule.
"We've been continuing to talk as a team about trying to play all three phases of the game well, and the hitting part has been the slowest part to come around this season," said Head Coach Jay Sullenger. "So it's great to see the guys having some success. In a mid-week game like this where you're not going to see some of the same arms you see on the weekend that's the kind of result you want to see."
Jerron Largusa took the lead for Biola in the second inning with a chopping single through the left side that scored Jeremy Barth. But the scoring really picked up pace in the next frame when the Eagles began to extend the lead by lifting the ball into the outfield.
Joey Magro started off the third by lining the ball over the third baseman's head and down the left field line for a double. He advanced to third on a Trey Holly bunt single and scored on another fly ball off the bat of Rawley Hughes. Jeremy Barth followed suit with another sacrifice fly and the Eagles were off to the races 3-0.
That would be plenty for starter Buddy Brouwer in his four innings as the lefty proved time and again that baserunners did not bother him. Brouwer took the sting out of five hits from the visiting team and left seven men of base during his outing. He used two strikeouts and five groundouts to extend his scoreless innings streak as a starter to nine and earn his first win of 2017. Since it was a planed bullpen day for the Eagles his four innings were good enough to earn a win, when the traditional minimum is five.
"Buddy's just been needing some confidence," said Sullenger. "The joke for him so far is that he's been so well known for good starts to the year, and this year has not been as good of a start as he's had. The thought has been that he's going to have a lot of his success in the latter half. I think we're starting to see that."
The Eagles put things away two inning later with five runs in the sixth inning. After Biola's aggressive use of a single and two walks resulted in two runs, Barth delivered the final blow by pulling a three-run homerun over the fence in right to make the score 9-2 in favor of the home team. The senior outfielder now leads the team in RBI's with 18 after knocking in four on Tuesday.
"That's not a bad team, we just played well today," said Sullenger. "It's always fun to see the guys have success. It's great to see the offense come around. It makes everything easier. It gives you some grace, and you do not feel as tight on the mound or with the glove on your hand. We hope to keep carrying that forward."
Insertions Andy Van Antwerp and Colton Worthington stole the show in the Eagles' final at-bats in the bottom of the eighth. Both right handed batters found pitches they could put a charge into for round trippers to left field. Van Antwerp's homer was his first of the season and led off the eighth. Worthington's was of the two-run variety, was his second of the season and it came just two hitters after Van Antwerp.
"[Van Antwerp] has had some big hits for us this year already, even in limited opportunities," said Sullenger. "The idea when you're a pinch hitter is that you take advantage of your opportunities. He did that today and that's exactly what you want to see. It's the same kind of thing you saw from
Kalani Nakamura again today. It's a good team feel when you see every guy get involved and be successful."
Andrew Frank and Anj Bourgeois followed the elevation celebrations with consecutive doubles to drive the Eagles to three additional runs in the inning to arrive at their final total of 15. The home team dominated at the plate for 16 hits and nine walks on Tuesday. Fourteen different individual batters reached base safely in some fashion as Sullenger really opened up his bench. The 15 runs is a new season-best for BU. The Eagles have topped 10 three times in the last five games. They scored seven and six in the two contests where they didn't hit double digits (not exactly missing by much).
The Eagles travel to Santa Clarita for a big weekend conference tilt with The Master's Mustangs on Friday. First pitch on Friday against the Mustangs (14-13, 5-7 GSAC) is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.
