The Biola Eagles softball team faced a weekend of doubleheaders on Friday and Saturday, as they played two games each against the University of Antelope Valley Pioneers and the Marymount College Mariners.
Sweep and split
The Eagles successfully swept Antelope Valley, but split the pair with Marymount. The Eagles now sit at 9-6-1 on the season as they approach Golden State Athletic Conference play starting March 5.
The first game of the weekend started out slow for both the Eagles and the Pioneers, with neither team scoring until the seventh and final inning. Freshman shortstop Andi Hormel scored first for the Eagles, as senior third baseman Heather Hall brought her home with an RBI single. Sophomore left fielder Anjie Amezquita scored two batters later, brought home as freshman pitcher Kaile Chavez got hit by a wild pitch.
The Sweep
The Eagles’ scoring concluded with Hall coming home as freshman utility player Areana Ramos was walked. The Pioneers scored one run in the bottom of the seventh, but could not come back, giving Biola the 3-1 win.
The second game was much more offense-oriented, with the scoring starting much earlier and in higher volume. Biola had a huge third inning, scoring five runs off two hits and a bases-loaded walk. Chavez and sophomore first baseman Selina Sherlin each got a two-run single, and senior centerfielder Kasey Hormel came home on the walk. The Eagles and the Pioneers scored three and four more runs, respectively, but Biola held on to get the 8-4 win and the 2-0 series sweep.
All about defense
Biola’s first game against Marymount proved to be all about defense, as a total of 10 runners were left stranded on base. The only run of the game came in the first inning, and it ended up in Biola’s favor, as Sherlin hit a single to third base that allowed Andi to come home. Both teams had runners in scoring position multiple times, but neither could bring anyone else home, earning Biola the 1-0 victory.
Marymount started out very strong in the second game, getting three runs right off the bat in the first inning. Biola tied it by the bottom of the second inning, off a trio of RBI singles from Sherlin, Andi and Chavez. The Eagles then took the lead in the fourth inning, as Kasey hit a solo home run, her first of the season, followed by a score from Andi due to a Marymount fielding error. The Mariners came back in the sixth and seventh innings, earning three runs to get the 6-5 win and avoid being swept by Biola.
“I think we found our lineup that we’ve been looking for,” said Lorie Coleman, head coach. “And that was a goal for the last two weekends, just finding that really good flow. […] There was a lot of good things that we discovered that I think will put us forward.”
The Eagles are next in action in a doubleheader against the La Sierra University Golden Eagles on Friday, March 4. The first game starts at 1 p.m. at Biola’s Freedom Field, followed by the second game at 3 p.m.
