Box Score LA MIRADA, Calif. --- The Biola faithful saw one of the best games Eagles Diamond has presented in quite some time on Friday. The Vanguard Lions and Biola Eagles duked it out for over three hours with back-and-forth scoring until the home team finally pulled ahead in the eighth to win 13-12.
The result puts the Lions and Eagles in a flat-footed tie atop the Golden State Athletic Conference table at 18-10 with a doubleheader left to play in the conference schedule. Hope International sits a half-game back after defeating San Diego Christian last night while Menlo is a full game out with two to play against Westmont on Saturday.
The Eagles scored three in their penultimate frame to hand closer Daniel Jang a two-run lead after being down 10-12. Jerron Largusa hit the go-ahead homerun against Vanguard reliever Jake Mellenthin to break an 11-11 tie and Ricky Perez scored the necessary 13th run for the Eagles on a throwing error three hitters later.
"Coach Sullenger told me to hunt a fastball before my at-bat and I was able to take a good hack at one while I was ahead 2-0," said Largusa, who leads the team with eight homeruns. "This is one of the closest teams I've ever been on and it really helped me focus to know everyone from the head coach to the last guy in the dugout had confidence in me."
The visiting Lions were able to take a commanding 10-4 lead halfway through the ballgame because of their ability to put the ball over the fence. Centerfielder Brandon Sandoval hit a two-run round tripper in the second to push their lead to 5-1. Later, homeruns from Josh Weeks and Shane Elias-Calles elevated the Lions' total to 10 before reliever Sean McCarrell got the Eagles out of the fifth inning.
Biola was able to prove its ability to come back with runs of its own at every pivotal point of the game. The offense picked up starter Jimmy Gallarda with three-run innings in the second, fifth, seventh and eighth to prevent his senior weekend from getting spoiled. They used 21 hits and four important homeruns to ultimately squeak out a victory.
Jonas Wellan led off the bottom of the second inning with his fourth homer of the year to reignite the excitement in the dugout immediately after Vanguard took a four-run lead. Then, Ricky Perez cut a 10-4 deficit in half during the fifth inning with a three-run shot to left that ultimately chased Lions' starter Chris Lumanlan.
Things got more tense in the eighth when Wellan sent a drive to deep center that resulted in an inside-the-park homerun. In the course of chasing the ball to the warning track, the centerfielder Sandoval slammed into the wall in straightaway center and fell to the ground next to the baseball while Wellan sprinted around the diamond to tie the game at 11.
Sandoval was reported to be in stable condition after the game. He rose to his feet with assistance after taking several minutes with the athletic training staff to collect himself. He was able to walk a few steps into a golf cart under his own power.
After the injury delay it seemed all the air had bee,n let out the stadium as Largusa stepped to the plate. In almost storybook fashion, his homerun to left field finally allowed Biola to grasp the lead it had been working for all, game and commence a renewed chase to the Golden State Athletic Conference regular-season title.
"This is one of those wins that shows the type of complete team we are and how we play for each other like brothers," said Largusa. "In particular, what our relievers did for us today was huge. [They did] everything we asked of them to keep us in the game."
Relievers McCarrell, James Goodwin and Daniel Jang held down the fort for Biola over the last 4.2 innings while the offense mounted the comeback. Goodwin gets the win for his perfect eighth inning, while Jang gets his 11th save of the season after holding the Lions to just one run in the ninth.
Saturday is Biola's senior day and the Eagles will celebrate the 10 members of the senior class before and after game one of the doubleheader. Senior day festivities are scheduled for 11:00 a.m. with the first pitch of game one scheduled at 11:30 p.m.
The Eagles need to win both games to guarantee a claim of the conference title at the end of play tomorrow. A split would leave them in a tie with Vanguard, but if Hope International wins twice over San Diego Christian they would hold a half-game advantage over both teams at end of play Saturday. The half-game difference between Biola, Vanguard and HIU is because Hope International has a game against Westmont that still needs to be completed. Plans are for that contest to be completed on Monday.
