The Biola Eagles softball team passed the halfway point in their four-series road trip on Tuesday when they faced the San Diego Christian Hawks. The team came off a split with Concordia, a first for the team in three years, and looked to keep the positive momentum rolling. However, SDCU put up a fight and took the first game 6-3, but then Biola rallied back and took the second 5-1 to earn the split.

The first game of the day was offensively dry for the first two innings, then Biola lit it up in the top of the third. A pair of singles from sophomore Kimmy Triolo and junior Bria Madrid set up a scoring situation as senior Brooke Madrid stepped up to the plate and hit a sacrifice fly to left field to bring home Triolo. The next batter flied out, but then freshman Selina Sherlin stepped up to the plate and smashed a home run over the left field wall, her fifth of the season, giving Biola a quick 3-0 lead.

SDCU quickly erased that lead in the fourth inning, scoring three runs by way of a single followed by two successive wild pitches, all with bases loaded and only one out. The Eagles managed to escape the inning without any more damage, but the score was tied and the Hawks were not stopping there. They scored two more in the fifth followed by a final run in the sixth that put the game out of reach for Biola and gave them the 6-3 victory.

The second game could have been called the Madrid Show, as one of the two Madrid sisters was involved in every scoring play for the Eagles. The sisters combined for all five of the Eagles hits, and each crossed the plate once in an excellent performance. Bria was the first Eagle to score in the second game, crossing home after a sacrifice fly from sophomore Kasey Hormel. Brooke got her spotlight in the top of the seventh when she hit her first career home-run to give the Eagles their final run.

The pitching performance excelled as senior Reba Depriest got the start on the mound again, even after giving up the loss in the first game. She made up for it, throwing 5.0 innings, getting 10 strikeouts and only allowing one run, which came in the fifth inning well after Biola had established control of the game. Triolo then came in to pitch the remaining two innings, and earned her second save on the season by only giving up one hit but no runs.

Biola moves to 8-4 in Golden State Athletic Conference play, breaking the three-way tie for first place with Vanguard and Concordia. Vanguard now has sole possession of first with a 9-3 record, Concordia sits in second at 7-3, and Biola claims the third spot. The Eagles next game is the last of their four-series road trip, an out-of-conference play against Antelope Valley on March 25 at 1 and 3 pm.