COSTA MESA, Calif. — Biola erupted for 15 runs on 17 hits and played errorless baseball to complete a four-game sweep of Vanguard, 15-1, in a seven-inning series finale at Dean Harvey Field.
The Eagles used a six-run fifth inning and contributions up and down the lineup to close out the series. They will head into the final week of the regular season with momentum as winners of seven of their last eight games.
James Whitman went 2-for-3 with a solo home run, a double and two RBI, while Kevin Villegas had a 3-for-4 day with an RBI and two runs scored. Aidan Cube turned in four scoreless innings on the mound to set the tone for Biola's pitching staff, which held the Lions to just one run on five hits.
Spotty Vanguard defense allowed for three Biola runs right away as the Eagles made the most of a 3-error inning from the home team.
Whitman extended the advantage in the third, launching a solo home run to left field on a 2-0 count to make it 4-0. Incredibly, he's got home runs in five of the last six games.
The fifth inning is where the game broke open. Whitman, Nick Madole and Nicholas Whippo all drove in a run a piece, and then a Cole Thomson 2-run hit busted the game open further to push the lead to 10-0.
Biola added two more in the sixth. Whitman ripped a double to left center with one out, and Jacob Talbott — entering as a pinch hitter — crushed a two-run home run to left field to make it 12-0. It was Talbott's first career homerun.
The Lions finally got on the board in the bottom of the six as a fielder's choice brought Chase Easter-Hairston home for Vanguard's lone run.
Biola tacked on three more in the seventh. Ryan Han, pinch hitting for Whitman, drilled an RBI double to right center that scored Kevin Villegas while Luke Caruso came around to score on a throwing error by the Vanguard center fielder.
Ashton Pass later delivered an RBI single to left field to plate Han and push the final margin to 15-1.
Cube earned the win, going 4.0 innings and allowing just three hits with one strikeout on 46 pitches. Nathan Hernandez worked a scoreless fifth inning on 15 pitches, John Iacono handled the sixth, and Wyatt Nichol closed things out with a scoreless seventh, striking out two.
Biola moved to 25-23 on the season and 21-19 in PacWest play. Biola has series wins in each of its last two four-game sets. The Eagles close out the regular season next week with a four-game series against PacWest-leading Point Loma (38-9, 34-6). Biola seeks its first series victory over the Sea Lions since 2012.
Join us at Eagles Diamond for Senior Day and a special Jesus Saves Hat giveaway on May 1 at noon.
