LA MIRADA--- The fans at Freedom Field were in for a treat as they were able to witness two thrilling games today between the Biola softball team and the visiting Concordia Golden Eagles.

The Eagles gave it their all against nationally-ranked No. 12 CUI but the visitors would come up on top in both games. The first game was a 3-2 nail-bitter that ended in the 10th inning and the second was a narrow 1-0 win. 

Game 1 - CUI: 3 / BU: 2
Biola's bats were hot in the first game, but they struggled with stringing their hits together. BU outhit CUI 15-7 in game one but the Golden Eagles seemed to continuously show up on defense when it mattered the most. 

Three Eagles batted above .500. Allie Beck was a perfect 3-for-3 with three singles, Abie Nowak batted .750 (3-4) and Jennifer Morinishi hit .600 (3-5). Colby McClinton recorded her 39th hit of the season which put her one game behind the record holder for the longest on-base streak in program history. 

Biola scored first in the fifth inning. Allie Beck got the inning going with an infield single that McClinton seconded with a single in the five/six hole. Abie Nowak then executed a sacrifice fly that scored Beck to put BU on the board, 1-0.

CUI responded right away with two runs in the top of the sixth. Concordia managed to get their first two batters safely on base and moved them over to scoring position with a sacrifice bunt. Both runners scored in the next at-bat, advancing off an Eagle error which put CUI ahead 2-1.

Raylene Roybal buckled down in the circle and forced the next batter to fly out and then struck out the third to send her team to offense.

Biola wasted no time leveling the score, tacking on a run in the bottom of the sixth. Kaitlyn Hawkins stepped up with a lead-off triple down right field line. Hawkins then scored in Rilee Ruvalcaba's at-bat where she advanced home off a wild pitch (2-2).

A scoreless seventh sent Biola and Concordia into extra innings. CUI would benefit from the 10th-inning international tiebreaker rule that set them up to score the game-winning run.

The Golden Eagles used their first out of the inning to bunt their runner on second over to third. CUI would score in the next at-bat by poking a single to left field which put them up 3-2.

Jennifer Morinishi was put in relief and got the next two outs to close the inning. 

The Eagles fought to tie up the game in the bottom of the 10th, but couldn't seem to get past the Golden Eagles who held them 3-2.

Roybal threw a great game where she went nine innings on the mound. Roybal allowed the visitors three runs off of just seven hits while striking out seven for BU. Morinishi also did her job in the circle, efficiently closing out the game in the top of the 10th.

Game 2 - CUI: 1 / BU: 0
The second game would be another tight battle between No. 12 Concordia and Biola.

Kayla Bousquette was in a pitching duel with CUI's Rae Flores that went on for five scoreless innings.

Concordia broke through first this time, scoring in the top of the sixth off a two-out rally. The Golden Eagles unleashed three-consecutive singles that scored one run, 1-0.

The Golden Eagles held down a strong defensive front, keeping Biola scoreless in a competitive game. Concordia's defense shined again despite Biola's strong offensive performance. Biola collected six hits in the second game, 21 total in both games, against one of the best pitching staffs in the PacWest Conference. Batters who face CUI's pitchers average .192 in the box while Biola's batters averaged .323 against the Golden Eagles today. CUI's pitchers also average a .98 ERA and the Eagles earned every run they scored today.

Bousquette threw the entire game where she only allowed CUI four hits and one run to score. The Freshman also tossed three strikeouts in a solid performance. 

McClinton was 2-for-3 in the batter's box in the second game and is now tied with the record holder for the longest on-base streak in program history. 

Cami Lara had a big moment today in the batter's box. The Freshman got an opportunity to pinch hit as the lead off batter in the bottom of the seventh and answered the call with a double down the right field line that gave the Eagles a chance to tie up the game. 

With the two close losses, Biola falls 17-10 overall and 9-5 in the PacWest Conference while Concordia improves 25-6 and 14-2 in the PacWest.

The Eagles play next against Azusa Pacific on Saturday, Mar. 25 at 12 and 2 p.m. at the Cougar Softball Complex.