Box Score SAN MARCOS, Calif. — Biola Baseball faced its first road test of 2023 on Saturday at CSU San Marcos. The Eagles red-hot offense continued to produce as the Biola Boys managed eight runs on eight hits. However, the opposing Cougars one-upped the Eagles though, winning 9-8 to level up the series.

The Cougars got off to a fast start, using five early hits to score four runs across the first two innings. Biola's starter Andrew Beauvais settled in for a smooth third and fourth, but Biola had to begin the game a bit behind the eight ball.

The Eagles managed at least one base runner in three of the first four innings, but the CSUSM starter Pat MacDonald did not allow them to get a run across through those first 12 outs.

The middle of the game is when the BU lineup was most locked in. Head Coach Jesse Rodgers squad scored all eight of its runs between the fifth, sixth and seventh innings, using a five-run sixth frame to really make the hosts sweat.

Freshman James Whitman announced his presence with his first collegiate homerun to lead off the fifth inning and break the scoreless inning streak for the CSUSM starter. Whitman's been off to an impressive start with three hits and some solid run-producing in his first two games.

After Whitman, the Eagles managed one other run in the fifth frame and would trail 5-2 headed into the top half of the sixth inning. After a flyout began the frame, Biola managed three walks and one single over the next four batters to turn up the heat and force a pitching change.

A bases-loaded walk was followed up by a sacrifice fly and as Brenden Bell stepped to the plate with two runners on and two away his team was now back in the game at just 5-4.

Following a first-pitch strike, the third-year Eagle turned on one and blasted a three-run shot over the wall in right-center to put Biola ahead by two. This was Bell's second homerun in as many games and the 10th of his Biola career.

The great feelings brought about by Bell's big blast quickly dissipated as the Eagles' opposition had six-straight batters reach to start their half of the sixth inning. That allowed them to pull back ahead 8-7 before coach Rodgers made the call to the 'pen and brought in Carson Cody.

Cody entered the game with the bases loaded and no one out. He walked the first batter, which would equate to the game's winning run, but then he was very impressive in setting down the next three with a strikeout, groundout and second strikeout.

Biola got one run back in the second inning when Wyatt Duncan turned on the jets and scored on a wild pitch. But, the Eagles stranded the game-tying run on third base at the end of that inning.

Cody managed one more scoreless inning, but Biola was held scoreless as well in the eighth and ninth as well to suffer its first loss of the new year.

Taylor Justus and Bell both had two-hit games, while Duncan and newcomer Austin Carrillo were also ever-present on the base paths with a pair of walks each.

Biola and CSU San Marcos play again in the afternoon on Saturday. Follow live statistics at https://csusmcougars.com/sidearmstats/baseball/summary or live stream ($) at https://ccaanetwork.com/csusm/.