HAYWARD, Calif. — Biola Softball won't have to battle through the loser's bracket this week.
Mikala Huskey delivered a two-out walk-off single down the left-field line to lift Biola to a thrilling 7-6 victory over Western Washington in the second round of the NCAA Division II Softball West Regional at Pioneer Field. It was one of the most memorable wins in program history, packed with late-game heroics, postseason resilience and dramatic momentum swings.
"I have to give God the glory, and thank God for that win," said Head Coach
Kristin Halte. "This team is resilient and He has prepared us for this moment. I even had to be reminded myself in this game to keep the faith. When I saw Lilly come out and rally the team, I knew good things were going to happen."
The road to victory was anything but easy for the Eagles, who were held hitless through five innings. Despite the offensive struggles, Biola remained within striking distance thanks to a dominant relief outing from
DJ Symons after Western Washington scored twice in the opening inning. Symons settled in and posted scoreless frames in the second, third, fourth and fifth to keep the Eagles alive.
But with two outs and two strikes in the top of the sixth, Symons made her only major mistake of the afternoon. Western Washington capitalized with a three-run home run that stretched the lead to 5-0 and made the comeback feel unlikely. Instead of folding, Biola responded immediately fueled by belief and a timely speech from
Lillianna Garcia.
"Western Washington is a really good team. The pitcher was shutting us out and doing real good," Huskey said. "But Lilly G called us all in together and said, 'Who cares? God already knows. It's in His will and in His plan.' We're just trusting in God."
The Eagles' rally began moments later.
Kennadie Tsue broke up the no-hit bid with a leadoff single down the left-field line for Biola's first hit of the game.
Leilani Salgado followed with a single up the middle, and
Alexa Medley Sheard loaded the bases with a one-out hit to left.
Kendall Nakano then ripped a bases-clearing double down the left-field line to cut the deficit to 5-3 and suddenly swing momentum back toward the Eagles.
Right after Nakano's double, Garcia stepped into the box and delivered the biggest swing of the game to that point - a towering two-run home run to left-center that tied the game at 5-5. The ball nearly stayed in the park after the Western Washington outfielder got a glove on it as she crashed into the fence, but it carried over to complete Biola's stunning comeback inning.
"This team follows each other. It's like a snowball effect," said Halte. "All we needed was one person to start us off, and then it was just going to be a trickle effect. We needed one person to step up, and then everyone was like 'yeah, I can do it.' and it spiraled from there."
Western Washington answered again in the top of the seventh with yet another two-out hit to reclaim a 6-5 lead, putting the pressure right back on the Eagles entering their final at-bat.
Biola's response started immediately.
"Falling behind right away was tough," said Garcia. "But our team is super resilient and we punch back. That's something I am really proud of for our team. We never give up."
Salgado opened the inning with a double into the gap in left-center, and
Jackie Ibarra followed with a single up the middle to put the tying and winning runs aboard. Sheard then reached on a fielder's choice that loaded the bases with nobody out after Western Washington failed to record an out on the play because of Biola's aggressive baserunning.
With the bases loaded and the heart of the lineup due up, the momentum again seemed firmly in Biola's favor. But the Vikings' starter regrouped and induced shallow popouts from both Nakano and Garcia, leaving the Eagles down to their final out.
That brought Huskey to the plate.
Huskey lined a single into left field that scored the tying run, and when the ball skipped away from the diving left fielder, third-base coach
Rod Austin aggressively waved home Ibarra with the winning run. Ibarra slid across the plate just before Western Washington completed a relay throw to third base for what appeared to be the inning's final out.
The Vikings immediately challenged the play, leading to a tense video review as both teams waited around the infield. Minutes later, the home plate umpire's call stood. Ibarra had scored before the third out was recorded, officially clinching Biola's place in the regional championship round.
"In my final at-bat, I was just trying to get one run in at least," Huskey said. "I knew we just needed one to force extra innings. I was trying to stay relaxed, stay on top of the ball, hit it on the ground and at least get one."
Symons earned the win in the circle after allowing four runs on four hits across 5.1 innings of relief while striking out four. Biola finished with nine hits and committed no errors, continuing a strong defensive run throughout the tournament. Huskey went 2-for-4 and Salgado finished 2-for-3 to lead the offense. Nakano drove in three runs, and Garcia added two RBI with her game-tying homer.
"Western Washington is a tough team. I am incredibly proud of my team and their fight back," said Halte. "Sometimes you can't see in the moment what God is doing. But I know the tough times earlier in the season were preparing us for now."
The victory sends Biola into Saturday's regional championship series with a chance to advance to the NCAA Division II Super Regionals. First pitch is scheduled for noon, and if necessary, a winner-take-all game will follow at 2:30 p.m.
"This win is big," said Tsue. "We're taking what we learned in our conference tournament into this tournament. We have the experience now and we're going to keep fighting. Never give up."
Follow live video of the championship series at this link. Live stats for the first game are available
here.
