There was much joy at Eagles diamond following the third game of this weekend's series between Biola and No. 7 San Diego Christian College; however, it wasn’t the home team celebrating. The Eagles dropped both games to close the season as San Diego clinched their first ever Golden State Athletic Conference baseball title.
Biola finished the season with a 15-39 overall record, with 11 of those wins coming in conference. They came in sixth out of seven teams in the GSAC.
Despite Friday’s walkoff winner over SDCC thanks to a Boone Farrington two-run home run, the Eagles dropped both Saturday games to lose the final series. Biola was outscored 24-3 on the final day, including at 16-0 loss in the afternoon game.
While it may not have been the ideal day to celebrate its seniors, the Eagles gave the seven graduating seniors a farewell to remember. All seven got a chance to play, with several of them getting a chance to play some foreign positions.
The end of the game was highlighted by Johnny Farrington getting to pitch two-thirds of an inning. The infielder gave up two runs on two hits and one walk.
Needless to say, the 2014 season wasn’t exactly what the coaching staff and team was shooting for. With 16 series over the span of the season, the Eagles only won three of them, and were swept by their opponents in five of the series.
Despite winning the first game of the season, things started going south early for the Eagles. Biola proceeded to lose the five games. Throughout the first part of February, the Eagles struggled to string together wins, never eclipsing more that two-straight wins.
Following a Feb. 24 loss to Azusa Pacific University, Biola went on a 10-game losing streak. It was a rough stretch, with half of the losses coming by two runs or less. However, the Eagles would break the streak on March 15 with a win over No. 12 The Master’s College.
In his first year at the helm, the work can now begin for Jay Sullenger as he begins to focus on recruiting his team for seasons to come.
2014 might have been rough, but there’s no reason to think Sullenger and his staff can't turn the ship around over the next few years.
