Biola inched closer to the final Golden State Athletic Conference play-off spot with wins over over The Master’s College Mustangs and the Hope International University Royals. Junior second baseman JD Meyer’s grand slam and junior shortstop Alec de Watteville’s two-homer game highlighted Biola’s success.

Closer to Master's

After going 4-1 against their opponents, the Eagles are now less than one game behind the fourth place Mustangs.

The Eagles came into the series against the Mustangs three games out of fourth place and with an opportunity to move up in the standings. The Eagles took advantage of their three-game set by winning the first two games and clinching the series win.

The Eagles quickly took the lead over the Mustangs in the first game with a five-run first inning, which ultimately won the game for Biola. De Watteville fueled their offense, hitting a homerun in the second and fifth. Junior catcher Sam Thorne and senior leftfielder Jeremy Barth also contributed by both going 3-4 at the plate.

After beating the Mustangs 8-3, senior starting pitcher Eric Diomartich, who pitched six innings with four hits, three runs and five strikeouts, earned the win and improved to 2-4.

While many of the Eagles’ bats fell silent in the second game, senior third baseman Andres Rodriguez, who went 3-3 with two runs, and Thorne supplied the offense the Eagles needed to clinch the series. With the game tied at two going into the bottom of the seventh, Thorne hit his first homerun of the season, giving the Eagles a 4-2 lead. Although the Mustangs brought the Eagles’ lead down to one run in the top of the eighth, Biola managed to close out the game 4-3.

The only run the Eagles brought home in the series finale was from freshman centerfielder Jerron Largusa’s RBI groundout in the bottom of the third. Without support from the offense in the Eagles’ 1-4 loss, junior starting pitcher Jimmy Gallarda received the loss after pitching seven innings, allowing seven hits and four runs, and is now 2-5 on the season.

First since 2013

“This was the first time we’ve beat them in a series since 2013,” Gallarda said. “So it really was just a chance to prove ourselves. We came out of it with a lot of confidence knowing we can beat a top tier team like them.”

Despite a quiet start to the series, Rodriguez ended 5-6 in the last two games of the set, accumulating two runs and improving to a .241 batting average. On top of that Thorne, who leads the team with a .328 batting average, went 5-11 through the three-game series.

With two home runs against the Mustangs and another against the Royals, de Watteville leads the Eagles with nine home runs and hit three over the past five games.

The Eagles kicked off the series against the Royals coming back from a five run deficit in the opener. Down 2-6 by the bottom of the seventh, the Eagles had back-to-back four-run innings in the seventh and eighth, which in the end won the game for Biola 10-7.

Meyer's clinching slam

The Eagles clinched the series after a run-filled 13-9 victory, highlighted by a fifth inning grand slam hit by Meyer. The Eagles’ thirteen runs outlasted the Royals’ nine-run ninth inning comeback attempt. Gallarda led the Eagles on the mound through six strong innings, allowing only three hits, zero runs and striking out five. After losing to the Mustangs, Gallarda improved to 3-5.

The Eagles will finish their series against the Royals on Thursday, March 24 at 6:30 p.m.