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Scoreboard

Martinez 1
Adam Washington
1
Vanguard VUSC 14-1
3
Winner Biola BU-SB 10-3
Vanguard VUSC
14-1
1
Final
3
Biola BU-SB
10-3
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Vanguard VUSC 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 3
Biola BU-SB 0 0 0 1 1 1 X 3 7 1

W: Austin, Paige (4-1) L: DWYER, Vanessa (5-1)

8
Vanguard VUSC 14-2
9
Winner Biola BU-SB 11-3
Vanguard VUSC
14-2
8
Final
9
Biola BU-SB
11-3
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Vanguard VUSC 5 2 0 0 0 1 0 8 11 1
Biola BU-SB 0 5 0 0 3 0 1 9 8 1

W: Austin, Paige (5-1) L: DWYER, Vanessa (5-2)

Game Recap: Softball |

Defeating The Undefeated

Biola Softball handed previously undefeated Vanguard two losses Friday.

LA MIRADA, Calif. --- All preseason long Biola Softball has been seeking a matchup that would be a clear indication of the level the team is capable of playing at. The Eagles got that indication on Friday when they hosted a top-flight NAIA team in the Vanguard Lions and dealt them their first two losses of the season.

Biola used its 1-2 punch of Terri Van Dagens and Paige Austin to win the game one pitcher's dual, 3-1. Then the offense stepped up in a big way in the game two slugfest, ultimately ending 9-8 in favor of the Eagles after a Kayla Neff walk-off hit.

Vanguard came into the day with a 14-0 record on the season and had only allowed 15 total runs in their first 14 games. The Eagles had no problem dropping 12 in 14 innings.

"We definitely knew we had a really good shot at the first game," said Head Coach Lorie Coleman. "We were able to just piece it together in the second game. Our lineup is just amazing. It's almost flawless one through nine."

Every single spot in the lineup was productive on Friday as each position in the lineup (1-9) had at least one hit or scored at least one run between the two contests. They accomplished that against Vanguard's pitching trio that entered the day with a staff ERA of under 1.00.

The opening game belonged to Vanguard early on as Beth Renkoski's side used a squeeze bunt to push home a run in the top of the second inning and take a 1-0 lead.

Biola almost found a way to answer back in the next inning as it got a runner to third base with only one out in the inning, but the VUSC ace, Vanessa Dwyer was able to wriggle out of danger.

After the second-inning run, Van Dagens settled into a rhythm and finished out her four innings without allowing another run to cross the plate. That set the table for Biola to tie the game at one in the bottom of the fourth on a Missy Poti sacrifice fly.

Austin held the Lions down when she came into the game in the fifth and then a Haley Martinez leadoff walk in the bottom half set up the Eagles' opportunity to take the lead. Martinez was moved into scoring position by a productive Jay Perez groundout and then came across home plate on a Hailey Boyett single.

The Eagles managed an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth and then Austin used two strikeouts and a pop fly to end the game in the top of the seventh and get BU its 10th win of the year while handing the Lions their first loss.

Austin faced 12 batters in the first game without allowing a single hit. She struck out five on the way to her fourth win of the year.

"We are handing Paige the ball in some crucial situations," said Coleman. "If she can learn to work through these times I think her future is really, really bright. We just keep handing her the ball because we know that she's got it."

Game two had an entirely different tone established right from the word go. The Lions showed why they are a team deserving to be feared by jumping out to a 5-0 lead in the first inning and extending it to as large as 7-0 in the second frame.

Even with that large of a deficit against at team that is well known for its quality pitching the young Eagles' lineup did not back down at all. Biola struck for five of its own in the bottom half of the second inning to immediately bring the game back close again. The Eagles sent nine batters to the box in the inning and managed to get three hits, a walk and the first of two Andi Hormel hit-by-pitches.

The big hit in the inning came off the bat of first baseman Karen Lieng, who came up with a two-strike, two-run double to account for the Eagles' second and third runs of the inning. Lieng herself was the fifth run of the frame as she scored on a Vanguard error.

Paula Damas continued her good run in the circle with four solid innings in relief. She helped keep the game close at 7-5 until eventually Biola's bats were able to heat up again in the fifth inning.

Just as the did in game one, the Eagles managed to retake the lead in their half of the fifth inning in the second contest. A Ruth Munoz walk and Selina Sherlin single gave Areana Ramos runners on the corners with one out. The junior outfielder flew out to left field to force in Munoz and pull the game within one.

Then, during the very next at-bat, Hailey Boyett blasted one over the fence and almost all the way to the archery range to put Biola on top 8-7. It was Boyett's fourth homerun of the season and it brought her all the way up to a team-high 14 RBI. Oh, and she's only played in six of Biola's 14 contests.

"We are excited the team did not give up," said Coleman. "That is a good sign for a team this young. We are really pleased that they have that kind of high character."

The Lions tied it at eight in their half of the sixth inning, but a strikeout by Austin ended the inning leaving three Vanguard base runners stranded and maintaining the tie score. The Lions left 11 runners on base in the contest.

Austin didn't give them the chance to strand any runners as she put up a 1-2-3 frame in the top of the seventh and set up the perfect opportunity for the offense to go out and win it.

A lead-off single from Ramos was just the kind of start the Eagles needed in the seventh. That got the energy up, and it began to explode as Ramos was pushed to second on a groundout from Boyett. That brought Neff to the plate with a chance to win the game with one swing of the bat. She connected and drove the ball right back up the middle. Ramos beat out the throw from center field in a bang-bang play at the plate and the Eagles won the ballgame.

"Kayla had been in a little slump because her back was hurting her a bit, but she was feeling much better and I'd say she's back to being her usual self," said Coleman.

The win in game two helped the Eagles improve to 11-3 on the season. The 11 wins in 14 games is the best start for this program since it won its first 12 games of the season way back in 2006.

Biola now gets a chance to hop on a plane and head to Hawaii where it will begin its inaugural season of PacWest Conference competition next week. The Eagles open with four games over two days at Chaminade (3-4) on Monday and Tuesday. Biola is 3-1 all-time against the Silverswords, getting to play them in Hawaii in 2003 and 2007.

"We're really looking forward to the conference season starting," said Coleman. "It will be nice getting to play Division II games and see where we measure up. The challenge will be to stay focused and not get caught up in all the waves and beautiful sight. We want to make a mark in this conference right away."
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