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Kayla Neff hitting a walk-off
George Rodriguez
5
Hawaii Hilo UHH-SB 17-6
6
Winner Biola BU-SB 11-10
Hawaii Hilo UHH-SB
17-6
5
Final
6
Biola BU-SB
11-10
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Hawaii Hilo UHH-SB 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 0 0 5 7 1
Biola BU-SB 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 6 14 1

W: Austin, Paige (6-4) L: Derleth, Billi (1-1)

Game Recap: Softball |

Walk-Off, Now Waiting...

Biola wins game one with a walk-off and sees game two get suspended due to light.

LA MIRADA, Calif. --- Kayla Neff continues her smoldering streak at the dish and Biola Softball continues to turn in enthralling PacWest Conference contests. The junior catcher led Biola to victory on Wednesday with a walk-off hit that allowed BU to hand a 6-5 defeat to the visiting Hawaii Hilo Vulcans.

The game went nine innings and lasted well over four hours due to an hour and a half lightning delay and a later delay due to an on-field incident. The Eagles and Vulcans traded five-run innings to end regulation tied before BU managed to load the bases for Neff's walk-off winner in the ninth.

Biola's five run inning came in support of the game's starter Paige Austin as the offense got going early in the bottom of the second inning.

The game's eventual hero began the second inning with a walk and was driven-in by a two-run homerun off the bat of Areana Ramos. It was Ramos' third homerun in a span of 24 hours, following up her two-HR day yesterday.

Following the big fly, Biola managed to scratch out three more runs in the inning on the merit of five singles. The second of the singles came off the bat of Madison Blossey, who picked up the first hit of her collegiate career and would later join fellow freshmen Sicili Brittingham and Jennifer Morinishi in coming around to score.

Biola had another chance to score in the fourth inning, getting runners to second and third with Neff coming to the dish, but the Hilo pitcher induced an inning-ending groundout to end the inning and keep BU sitting on the five-run lead.

That number would be important when Hilo managed five of their own in the sixth inning. The Vulcans hitters practiced patience and took advantage of a small strike zone to work three walks and two hit-by-pitches in the inning. The base runner bonanza eventually led to Head Coach Nikki Udria switching from Austin to Kaile Chavez, who made a pitching appearance for the second-straight day.

Chavez gave up a pair of singles which allowed an inherited runner to score, but a tremendous defensive play following one of those singles ensured the best UHH could do was tie the score at five. Areana Ramos scooped up the ball in center field after a hard hit single up the middle and gunned down a runner attempting to score from second base. The throw and great tag by Neff beat the go-ahead/would be winning run by a half-step.

After that, neither team could manage any offense in the seventh or eighth innings and brought us to the decisive ninth. After Chavez managed an effective relief appearance into the seventh inning, Udria brought Austin back in with one out and one on in the frame.

Austin stranded her inherited runner on second by getting a quick strikeout and groundout. She then managed scoreless innings in the eighth and ninth (just one walk in each inning) to set Biola up for the walkoff win.

Morinishi singled to lead off the frame. The number of base runners grew to two with the very next batter when Ruth Munoz reached on an error. Finally, the bases were loaded with one out as Hailey Boyett singled into right field and brought up Neff. With a 1-2 count the catcher laced one into the right-center field gap and ended the marathon game in Biola's favor.

The win helped Biola take a 2-1 advantage in the series and ensured Biola at least a split for the third-consecutive PacWest series.

Biola had 14 hits in the game, one more than their series-opening win on Tuesday. Munoz, Kylie Velasco, Boyett and Morinishi each had multi-hit games, with Velasco's three singles leading the way. Munoz and Boyett lead Biola with seven multi-hit games this season.

The Eagles' pitchers limited Hawaii Hilo to just seven hits, but also allowed seven free passes and a pair of hit-by-pitches to help UHH stay in the game. Austin's eight innings of four-hit ball (and seven strikeouts) helped her get the win to improve to 6-4.

Due to the length of game one - a breezy four hours and 20 minutes - the two teams did not begin game two of the doubleheader, game four of the series, until 9 p.m. Due to a La Mirada city ordinance the lights at Freedom Field are required to be off by 10 p.m. The two teams managed to play two and a half innings before the contest was suspended with Biola holding a 3-0 lead.

The coaches agreed to resume the suspended game Thursday March 21 at 3:00 p.m. at Freedom Field.
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