SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — A seven-run sixth inning propelled Biola Baseball to a come-from-behind 9-7 win over No. 23 Westmont to split the 4-game set with the Warriors.
Biola was playing from behind, with a 6-1 score line favoring the Warriors at the beginning of the sixth. The Warriors had scored one or more runs in inning three, four and five to build the lead.
But, Biola chipped away at the deficit scoring one run at a time with a mix of hits and Westmont errors to tie the game with two outs in their half of the sixth. A two-run single from Cole Thomson gave the team the lead and would end up being the game-winning hit. James Whitman closed out that inning with a solo shot to make it 9-6.
The work was not yet done, though, as Westmont would load the bases in their half of the seventh inning, giving them the game-winning run in the batters box at the beefy part of their lineup.
Ultimately, Dylan Alanis and Taj Brar would combine to put the Warriors away, allowing one run to the Warriors but getting a ground out to finish the game and strand three on base.
Biola outhit the Warriors, getting eight knocks in the contest, with half of those hits being for extra bases. Whitman's bomb was the big blast, but Thomson managed a triple and Ty Cowley added a double to help move the BU runners around.
The Eagles used four pitchers to secure the win, with Brar throwing two big pitches to the final batter, Grant Yzermans. It was a huge out to get against a batter who managed six hits, eight runs scored and 8 rbi throughout the series. It was a bang-bang play at first base where an inch made the difference.
The win moves Biola to 11-9 and 7-5 in PacWest Conference play. Up next for the Eagles is a trip to Hawaii Hilo over spring break. The Vulcans are 3-7 and 2-4 in the league. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. Hawaiian time on Wednesday.
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