After winning all three of their games in the Cactus Classic in Tucson, Ariz., softball returned home looking to keep their momentum going in a doubleheader against Marymount College of California at Freedom Field on Feb. 22. The Eagles did just that, winning 8-0 and 12-3 over Marymount behind an unstoppable offense. Both victories came via the run rule, as the Eagles built huge leads early in each game.

VAN DAGENS EXTENDS SHUTOUT STREAK

Senior starting pitcher Terri Van Dagens took the rubber for the Eagles, her third start in the Eagles’ past three games. Biola’s ace had led her team to shutout victories in both of her starts in Tucson and continued that streak on Thursday, tossing four scoreless innings while allowing four hits and striking out four. Freshman relief pitcher Paige Austin took over from there, only allowing one baserunner over the next two frames to seal the win and extend the Eagles’ scoreless innings streak to 24.

The Eagles’ offense got things started in the second when two walks and a single loaded the bases with two outs. Sophomore outfielder Jay Perez knocked a single towards the hole at shortstop to score two and give the Eagles their first lead of the day. Junior designated hitter Hailey Boyett stepped up in the third inning and whacked a home run over the center field wall, her second of the year despite playing in just her third game of the season due to injury. The Eagles blew the game open in the fourth. Another RBI single by Perez, a two-run double by junior outfielder Areana Ramos and an RBI single by Boyett to score Ramos resulted in a 7-0 Eagles lead, and Ramos followed that up with a solo home run in the sixth to put the run rule into effect.

BOYETT’S BAT CONTINUES ONSLAUGHT

Boyett once again keyed the blowout victory in game two. After two costly errors and a passed ball in the top of the third had turned an early 2-0 Biola lead into a 3-2 deficit against junior starting pitcher Kaile Chavez, Boyett’s solo home run in the bottom of the third tied the game at three apiece.

The score remained until the fifth, when the Eagles exploded for nine runs. Boyett led off the inning with a single, then senior third baseman Selina Sherlin and Ramos followed with base hits of their own to load the bases. That set up freshman second baseman Kylie Velasco and freshman shortstop Tori Apodaca, whose back-to-back doubles put the Eagles back on top 7-3. Later in the inning, Perez came through with another key single to score Apodaca and junior first baseman Karen Lieng. Boyett followed with a sacrifice fly and Sherlin hit a two-run homer to left field to trigger the run rule and end the game.

Boyett went 4-6 in her first game action in over two weeks while Perez went 4-7 with five RBI. Sophomore relief pitcher Paula Dams threw three scoreless innings in game two to pick up the win.

The Eagles played a Feb. 23 home doubleheader against old Golden State Athletic Conference foe Vanguard University before starting their PacWestschedule in Hawaii next week.