The Biola Eagles softball team faced the Concordia Eagles and the San Diego Christian Hawks this past week on Saturday and Tuesday, respectively. Biola won the first game against Concordia 2-0, a first for the team in three years, but dropped the second 3-2 in extra innings. The series against SDCU also ended in a split, with the Hawks taking the first game 6-3, and the Eagles rebounding for a 5-1 second game victory. Biola now sits at third place in the Golden State Athletic Conference with a conference record of 8-4 and overall record of 21-9.
The first game of the Concordia series featured an excellent pitching performance from both sides. Senior Reba Depriest started for Biola and pitched perfectly in her three innings on the mound, striking out six of the nine batters faced. Sophomore Kimmy Triolo came in as reliever for the remaining four innings and held Concordia scoreless while allowing only one hit. Biola’s only two runs of the game came in the top of the seventh as Concordia’s pitcher advanced a runner home after hitting sophomore Kasey Hormel with a pitch and walking a batter with full bases.
The second game took three extra innings to decide a victor. Biola scored first, getting a run in the top of the second from junior Iliana Morales off of an errant throw by Concordia’s second baseman. Concordia quickly equalized with a run of their own in the bottom of the second, then nobody scored until the seventh. Biola scored in the top of the seventh after Hormel’s RBI double put the pressure on Concordia. Concordia met the challenge, and scored a run to tie it up again and force extra innings. The two teams went back and forth until finally, in the top of the tenth, Concordia got the 3-2 victory with a walk-off single.
Biola had a few days off, then went on the road again to face San Diego Christian. Biola went out to an early lead in the first game, scoring three runs in the top of the third off of a sac fly from senior Brooke Madrid, followed by a two run homer from Sherlin. The Hawks quickly tied the game with three runs of their own in the bottom of the fourth, followed by two more in the fifth and their final run in the sixth to go on and win 6-3.
The second game was dominated by the Eagles and particularly the Madrid sisters. At least one of them was involved in every scoring play for Biola, and they accounted for all five of Biola’s hits during the afternoon. The scoring started in the third inning, when Bria scored the first run off of a sacrifice fly from Hormel. Three more runs came in the fourth, as Bria reached first base on an error that scored Stromwell and senior Ashley Spadt, followed immediately by an error by the Hawks’ shortstop that allowed Brooke to get on base, bringing home Triolo. SDCU scored their only run of the game in the fifth in the form of a solo home run. Brooke secured the victory in the top of the sixth by hitting her first career home run. Biola won 5-1.
The Eagles will finish up their four-series road trip with their next matchup against an out-of-conference opponent, the Antelope Valley Pioneers. The first game starts at 1 p.m. on March 25 in Lancaster, Calif.
