The Biola-hosted National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics SoCal Softball Invitational at Big League Dreams in West Covina, Calif. provided no shortage of fireworks for the Eagles in its first day. After an unusual contest on Feb. 15 was suspended in the fifth inning due to restrictions on field lighting after 11:30 p.m., the Eagles staged a late rally in their first game on Feb. 16 to defeat Southern Oregon University 6-5. They followed up with a 7-5 win against Embry-Riddle University of Arizona to close out the first day of the Invitational.
The Eagles’ invitational circuit technically began the day before play started in West Covina with a home game against Oregon Institute of Technology at Freedom Field on Feb. 15. Senior pitcher Kimmy Triolo threw out the first pitch well after 10 p.m., following a two-hour delay. Because they shut off the lights at 11:30 p.m., the game was called with the Eagles holding a 1-0 lead after the top of the fifth inning. Anjie Amezquita brought home the only run of the game with a bases-loaded sacrifice fly in the fourth inning to complement Triolo’s five scoreless frames.
On Feb. 16, the Eagles started their weekend in West Covina with a matchup against Southern Oregon. The visiting Raiders drew first blood and built up a 5-0 lead with runs in the first, second, fourth, and sixth. Biola started narrowing the lead in the bottom of the sixth when freshman outfielder Jay Perez singled and freshman catcher Kayla Neff doubled to make it 5-3. In the bottom of the seventh, with the Eagles two outs away from defeat, Perez came up again with the bases loaded. She walked, making it 5-4, setting up a groundout from junior third baseman Selina Sherlin to tie the game. Neff came up next and promptly smashed a walk-off double to complete the comeback for the Eagles.
In the game against Embry-Riddle, Biola became the team that started hot. Senior second baseman Miranda Galindo scored on an error in the opening frame, then Sherlin padded the lead with a massive three-run home run in the following inning. Embry-Riddle responded by scoring four runs in the third off Sherlin, the starting pitcher, but the Eagles maintained control of the game. Sophomore reliever Kalie Chavez took over for the final four innings, only allowing one run to aid the Eagles to a 7-5 win.
The final two days of the NAIA SoCal invitational, slated for Feb. 17 and 18, have been postponed due to weather. It’s unknown as of this writing when and if the games will take place
