Biola baseball hosted Vanguard University on Friday afternoon and failed to end a four-game Golden State Athletic Conference losing streak — a skid that started on Feb. 11 with a nail-biting 7-6 loss to Arizona Christian University — losing 7-3.
Friday’s contest provided more of the same for the Eagles, who mounted a late-inning comeback only to fall short in the ninth.
Down 4-1 in the eighth, the top of the order mustered up back-to-back-to-back doubles to pull the Eagles within one run. Sophomore right fielder Paul Slater led off the inning with his NAIA-leading 12th double of the year, followed by junior left fielder Vince Lawrence and senior center fielder Benji Sutherland who registered RBIs with their two-baggers to make it a 4-3 contest.
Despite the rally, Vanguard struck for three runs in the ninth off relievers Will Emerson and Garrett Picha.
“It was tough playing the last place team and not being on our game,” Sutherland said.
Vanguard entered Friday’s game 3-8 in conference play and averaging four runs on the road.
Vanguard’s Usui keeps Biola scoreless through six frames
Freshman catcher Sam Thorne erased Vanguard’s shutout in the seventh inning with his second home run of the season — at the time the only extra base hit Biola had recorded off Vanguard senior starting pitcher Kamakani Usui.
Usui went 7.2 strong, giving up three runs on seven hits to earn his first win of the year. He entered today’s game winless at 0-2 with a 5.40 ERA.
Fellow senior Kevin Ponzo replaced Usui in the eighth inning and secured Vanguard’s final four outs on just 12 pitches, giving up one hit in the process.
Wild pitches, passed balls ultimately Staumont’s demise
Thorne was behind the dish for Biola on Friday for the first time since Feb. 16 against Azusa Pacific University catching fellow first-year man Josh Staumont. The right-hander from La Habra struck out a career-high 10 batters but suffered his second consecutive loss after starting the season a perfect 3-0.
Staumont was much improved since last week’s thrashing to Concordia University Irvine — lasting into the seventh inning and striking out hitters with both fastballs and off-speed pitches — but it was ultimately five wild pitches and a passed ball that sealed his fate on Friday.
“I think today was something that every team will have where things always seem to go against us,” Staumont said. “Granted, they were things we can change, but I don’t feel any need to rush back to the drawing board because we had a string of bad games.”
Wild pitches to two consecutive Vanguard hitters in the third advanced a leadoff walk to third base, pulling the infielders in. Then a routine chopper up the middle bounced over the head of both Biola middle infielders, scoring Vanguard’s first run of the game.
In Vanguard’s two-run fifth inning, Staumont had the side retired on his seventh strikeout of the game but the breaking pitch hit the dirt and squirted by Thorne allowing the runner to reach. Following a single, Vanguard’s second run of the game scored on another Staumont wild pitch and advanced a runner to second, who then scored on shortstop Bryce Arroyo’s RBI single.
Arroyo led the Lions’ offense going 3-for-5 with a double and two RBIs.
Senior Nick Turner and freshman Trevor Oaks will take the mound tomorrow in the doubleheader, hoping to end Biola’s longest conference losing streak since 2010.
“We need to shake it off and get back to playing the Biola way,” Sutherland said.
