A week after sweeping the Providence Christian College Sea Beggars, the Biola baseball team continued the domination by winning the first two games of the three-game series against the San Diego Christian Hawks.
The first required 13 innings, with Biola taking the 10-9 victory. The second ended in seven with the Eagles earning the 2-0 win. Biola’s overall record improves to 23-18 and 12-8 in conference play.
The first game of the day was exciting all the way through, as the scoring came all throughout the game. San Diego Christian got on the board first, earning two runs in the third inning then another in the top of the fourth. Biola responded in the bottom of the fourth with a solo home run from junior first baseman Jimmy Gallarda. The fifth inning saw another run from the Hawks and two more from Biola, bringing the score to 4-3 in the Hawks’ favor. Biola outscored the Hawks 6-1 in the next two innings to give the Eagles the 9-5 lead.
That was the score heading into the ninth inning, when San Diego Christian scored four runs off a grand slam to right field. Since Biola did not score in the bottom of the ninth, extra innings were required. Eventually, the Eagles broke the tie in the bottom of the 13th, as junior catcher Sam Thorne got a single up the middle. Junior outfielder Daniel Rasmussen came in to pinch run for Thorne, then was driven home by a walk-off RBI double from junior second baseman JD Meyer to get the 10-9 win.
The second game proved not as exciting, as solid defense and excellent pitching limited the offensive productivity for both teams. Biola got the better end of the deal however, as they scored their two runs in the bottom of the fifth, and Gallarda pitched a complete-game shutout.
“We won because the guys picked each other up and played like a team,” said Jay Sullenger, head coach. “When mistakes were made or something didn’t go our way, we didn’t make excuses or point fingers, but trusted each other.”
The second win ensures the series win for the Eagles, and they look to get the series sweep on April 9 at 10 a.m. as they play the final game against the Hawks at Eagles Diamond.
