SAN MARCOS, Calif. — Biola used aggressive base running, timely contact, and a lights-out pitching performance to defeat Cal State San Marcos 7-1 at CSUSM Softball Field in Game one of the NCAA Division II West Super Regional.
"We have to thank God for his favor and his hand with us now. We can totally feel the way in which God is working things out," said Head Coach Kristin Halte. "We knew this was going to be a fight. San Marcos is a fantastic team. We needed to put pressure on them, win the innings and I think our team executed really well."
The Cougars struck first in the bottom of the first inning. After a leadoff walk, a double up the middle brought the runner home to put Cal State San Marcos ahead 1-0.
Biola answered in the second when Mikala Huskey led off with a bunt single and two outs later, Ariana Banos lined a single to right center to drive in Huskey and tie the game at 1-1.
The Eagles took the lead in the third thanks to an early base knock and some heads-up base running.
Leilani Salgado singled up the middle to start the inning and advanced to second on a groundout. On the next play, a throwing error by the Cougars' third baseman allowed Salgado to come all the way around and score, giving Biola a 2-1 advantage.
The score stayed there until the fifth, when Biola broke the game open.
After Jackie Ibarra and Alexa Medley Sheard both got on base, Kendall Nakano drew a walk to load the bases with one out. Lillianna Garcia put the ball in play and reached on a fielder's choice as Ibarra scored on another error to make it 3-1. After a batted ball from Huskey, another misplay helped Biola fly around the bases and extend the lead to 5-1.
In the circle, Kayla Bousquette started and went 4.2 innings, allowing just one earned run on six hits with three walks. It was a standout effort against a CSUSM lineup that featured nine players batting over .300.
"I felt great. I knew my team had my back out there, and I felt just so loose coming into this game," said Bousquette. "All praise and honor to God. Proving some people wrong is really what got us hyped and excited to come out here and play."
Bousquette stranded runners throughout, working through a runners-on-second-and-third jam in the second inning and inducing an inning-ending double play in the fourth.
DJ Symons entered in the fifth with the bases loaded and two outs, striking out the first batter she faced to end the threat. Symons finished the game and got another save, tossing 2.1 scoreless innings on two hits.
"I am super proud of our defense," said
Kendall Nakano. "We are one of the best in the conference and I know I can trust them. I have so much faith in Kennadie, Alexa, Lani, DJ and Ari. I know they will make plays."
Biola manufactured two insurance runs in the seventh to fire up their All-American dugout. A Nakano walk and Garcia single put two on with nobody out. After a fielder's choice moved the runners to second and third, Kennadie Tsue doubled down the left-field line to extend the lead to 7-1.
Biola finished with seven hits in the game. Salgado led the way with a 2-for-3 day, while Banos, Huskey, Ibarra, Garcia, and Tsue each contributed a hit. The Cougars committed five errors, leading to four unearned Biola runs.
"This win was really huge for us," said Salgado. "We knew we had our work cut out. We are a gritty team. We will keep battling and hopefully earn that win tomorrow."
With the win, Biola moved to 42-21 on the season and leads the best-of-three Super Regional series 1-0. Game two is scheduled for 11 a.m. PT on Friday, with a third game to follow if necessary. Biola will be the home team for game two, with all games hosted at Cal State San Marcos.
