Biola and Cal State San Marcos showed why they are so close in their rankings this past weekend. They split a pair of close, hard-fought games as the Eagles won the first game by a final of 2-1, but dropped the second game by a 4-3 count. Biola finished the day at 9-8 overall while the Cougars move to 13-11 overall.

The first game was a pitcher’s battle between Biola’s Lyndsie Roberts and CSUSM’s Melissa Lerno. Roberts emerged victorious, giving up seven hits and only making one mistake by giving up a long ball in the top of the fourth inning. Roberts also recorded five strikeouts on the day.

Not only did Roberts stifle the San Marcos’ offense, she was the sole provider of Biola’s offense driving in both runs. It was a scoreless tie in the top of the fourth as Lauren Gandy led off the inning with a bunt single, stole second and scored on Roberts’ double to left-center field. In the sixth inning it was the same dynamic duo of Gandy and Roberts who combined for the run as Gandy doubled and then was singled home by Roberts.

Roberts got the win as she improved to 5-3 on the season.

In the second game the Eagles got off to a quick start and again, it was the pitcher who provided the spark. Erica Moyer who crushed a two-run shot over the right field wall to put the Eagles up 2-0.

Cal State San Marcos answered back with a three run homer to go up 3-2. In the top of the third, Gandy tripled to right field and came around to score via a throwing error by Cal State.

The score would remain the same until the bottom of the fourth when the Cougars scored an unearned run on an RBI-single. The run came off new Biola pitcher Kristen Larson, who suffered her second loss of the year despite lowering her ERA to an excellent 1.00 as Biola falls 4-3.