After ending The Master’s College’s remarkable 11-game conference winning streak yesterday, Biola baseball split a doubleheader on Saturday to remain five games back of the Mustangs.
On Jan. 28 at Master’s, freshman starting pitcher Josh Staumont threw 5.1 innings of Biola’s combined no-hitter against the Mustangs. The right-hander continued that dominance in game one, taking a no-hitter into the seventh inning en route to the Eagles’ second straight win over the first place Mustangs, 11-2.
Along with his previous outing against Master’s, Staumont pitched 11.2 innings of no-hit ball against a team that averages 8.4 hits per game.
Staumont had issued just two walks and struck out seven entering the seventh inning before Master’s first baseman Spencer Downs singled past diving Eagles first baseman Nick Oddo to end the no-hit bid.
“I think as competitive players we rise to the occasion when facing such a good opponent,” Staumont said. “I knew I had to shape up after my bad outing last week and this is all I could ask for.
“My team backed me up defensively all day, as well as offensively,” he said.
Oddo made two fantastic plays at first base and sophomore third baseman Mike Chriss — who hit his first home run of the year in the the eighth — made a great snag on a liner in the first.
“My outfield also came through big time with good positioning and clutch plays,” Staumont said.
The win improves Staumont’s record to 4-3.
Offense explodes for eleven runs, seven in the fifth inning
The Eagles held on to a 1-0 lead into the fifth inning before scoring seven runs on five hits to open the game wide open and give Staumont a comfortable cushion. A pair of two-run singles from juniors Vince Lawrence and Michael Annunziata highlighted the seven-run outburst.
Junior shortstop Johnny Farrington’s bases loaded single, freshman catcher Sam Thorne’s fielder’s choice and Oddo’s bases loaded walk accounted for the other three runs in the fifth.
Oddo finished the game 2-for-3 with 3 RBIs, including a two-bagger that plated two in the seventh.
Mustangs score two in seventh to spoil Eagles rally in game two
Game two presented Biola with an opportunity to sweep Master’s and climb above .500 in the Golden State Athletic Conference for the first time since Feb. 22. Despite the Eagles' late-inning comeback, the Mustangs capitalized on a two-run double from sophomore right fielder Steven Karkenny to prevent the sweep, defeating Biola 5-3.
Biola entered the bottom of the sixth trailing by two before Annunziata doubled over the head of Karkenny in right to cut the lead to one. Senior catcher James Petrilli was sent to the batter’s box to pinch hit for junior infielder Sage Poland and tied the game at three with a single up the middle.
“It felt great. I could not stop smiling as I stood on first looking at my boys,” Petrilli said. “I was just happy to get us back into the ballgame in hope of a weekend sweep.”
Mustangs’ senior righty Tyler Elrod had allowed just one run on four hits before Biola’s two-run rally in the sixth. Junior closer Tommy Kister replaced Elrod and pitched 1.1 perfect innings to notch his second win of the year after Karkenny’s double in the seventh gave Master’s the 5-3 lead.
Biola’s other freshman starting pitcher Trevor Oaks suffered his fourth loss of the year — his third loss in his last four starts dating back to a Feb. 22 loss at Concordia University Irvine. Oaks pitched 6.2 innings while giving up four earned runs on eight hits.
Oaks, who averages more than a strikeout per inning, retired only five on Saturday via the punchout.
Master’s record sits at 15-6 — with four of those six losses coming at the hands of Biola — two games ahead of Concordia atop the GSAC standings. San Diego Christian rests in third place at 11-10 after sweeping Vanguard University this weekend and Biola is alone in fourth at 10-11.
The Eagles will host Vanguard next week in a three-game series starting on Friday at 3 p.m.
