Through their first twelve games of the season, the start of the Biola baseball season has been up and down. They kicked off the season with a three game winning streak, winning the season opener by one and their next two games by three runs or more. Since then, however, the Eagles have gone 1-8, losing six in a row and dropping to 4-8 through their series with the Menlo College Oaks.
BOUNCING BACK
“They’re definitely a hitting team,” said Aaron Chavez, senior outfielder. “They’re really aggressive, really confident on the offensive side.”
Prior to their first game against Biola, Menlo College remained undefeated at home, holding an 8-3 record and a perfect 7-0 home record. However, the Eagles came in and ended both their six game losing streak and the Oaks home game winning streak in a 4-1 victory led by the phenomenal pitching of senior left-handed hurler Eric Diomartich.
“He started off a bit rough, but then he picked it up,” Chavez said. “After he settled in we got into a groove and next thing you know we started executing. We had the momentum to win every inning.”
Bouncing back from his first start against Vanguard, Diomartich pitched 6.1 innings, allowing five hits and one run to cross the plate. Two starts in, he is now 1-1 and holds a 4.50 ERA.
THE SERIES
The Eagles wrapped up their series against Menlo with a doubleheader, both of which they lost by three runs or more. Accumulating a total of six errors, the Eagles fell to the Oaks 9-12 and then 3-7 in the second game.
Through the series against Menlo College, junior second baseman JD Meyer hit .583, going 7-12 with five runs, three RBIs and hit his first home run of the season in game two.
The series against Menlo College was the Eagles’ first Golden State Athletic Conference matchup of the season. Through the season Biola will play nine GSAC competitors in 27 games. Teams in their GSAC conference include Menlo College, Hope International University, Arizona Christian University, Westmont College, the 2015 GSAC champions The Master’s College and their highly competitive rival Vanguard University.
After their series with Menlo, the Eagles find themselves towards the bottom of the GSAC standings with a 1-2 record, but with over 20 more GSAC games left in the season, Biola has plenty of time to turn their season around.
DOWN BY ONE
After losing the series to Menlo College, the Eagles played Bethesda University at home. By the third inning the Eagles found themselves in a 0-8 hole, thanks to a number of hits, walks and an error.
With home runs from senior catcher Eugene Shin and junior second baseman JD Meyer, the Eagles found themselves down by one going into the ninth inning. Although they were able to keep Bethesda from scoring in the top of the ninth, the Eagles were unable to score and fell 9-10.
Despite a quiet series against the Oaks, junior catch Sam Thorne still leads the Eagles with a .359 batting average. Thorne and junior first baseman and right-handed pitcher Jimmy Gallarda, who is batting .306, are the two Eagles who are hitting over .300.
Adding his second home run in the game against Bethesda, Meyer is now tied with junior shortstop Alec de Watteville for the most homeruns on the team.
To kick off a 13 game homestand, the Eagles will face off against the College of Idaho starting on Friday, Feb. 18 at 2 p.m.
