Box Score HONOLULU, Hawaii --- An early lead turned into a comeback attempt on Thursday night in Hawaii. Biola (9-11, 6-7 PacWest) took on Chaminade (7-10, 5-8 PacWest) in the opening game of a four-game series but came up just short in a 6-5 loss to the Silverswords.

It did not take long for the Biola bats to cash in on Thursday night. Tommy Kendlinger sent the ball back up the middle in the top of the first, reaching via a single. Two pitches later, Adiel Torres helped bring home Kendlinger with a double down the left field line.

The second inning brought more action on the base paths, as Nicholas Whippo and Jonny Tewinkle grabbed singles to get men on. A four-pitch walk loaded the bases for Noah Ruiz. The leadoff man knocked a sac fly to score one. An error followed for Chaminade, leading to two more Biola scores and a 4-0 lead for the visitors.

On defense, John Iacono got the start for Biola and nabbed six-straight outs. 

The CUH offense began to chip away in the third inning, landing one run in the third and one in the fourth. The fifth inning brought two more, knotting the game at four at the halfway point.

The difference came in a two-out rally from the Silverswords. The host squad worked around back-to-back outs to start the inning to move ahead, 6-4 in the bottom of the seventh.

With their work cut out for them, the Eagles put it into drive in a comeback effort. The top of the eighth saw a two-out home run from James Whitman, cutting the deficit in half. The solo homer marked the second long ball of the season for the junior.

Still down by one, Sam Lisiak gave Biola life in the ninth. The senior pinch hit to lead off the frame and singled on a line drive to center field. An out followed before Ruiz put a flare single to right-center, placing runners on first and second with one out. A strikeout and groundout ended the game, as the comeback push fell short.

Ruiz went 2-4 on Thursday for his ninth multi-hit game of the 2025 season.

Biola and Chaminade will battle in a doubleheader on Friday beginning at 3:00 pm PT.