Biola baseball ventured south to Irvine, Calif. on Friday afternoon to take on the Concordia University Irvine Golden Eagles for a doubleheader. Off to a strong start, Biola took game one 8-1, but choked during game two, losing in a sweep, 0-4.
FAST START
The Eagles began game one with high energy. A bit of a slow start for both teams was quickly overcome with several runs by Biola in the top of the third inning. Redshirt senior third baseman Jacob Portaro singled to the left side, advancing senior outfielder Johnny Sage to second and junior shortstop Connor Kostecka to run through the home plate. Next up to bat was junior first baseman Jackson Collins who drilled a single to third, pushing Portaro to third and Sage home for their second run.
The rotation continued, as junior outfielder Brandon Cody also hit a single to third base, advancing the runners again and sending Portaro home. Junior designated hitter Ryan Gallegos continued the sharp hitting, cranking one to the left side and bringing Collins home for their fourth point of the game.
CUI remained cold, unable to make a clapback. During the top of the seventh inning, Sage hit a homerun, making it a 5-0 game. However, the Golden Eagles finally came back with a rebuttal, scoring one run of their own during the bottom of the seventh. But the home run party continued for Biola, as Gallegos gained a homer of his own during the top of the eighth.
Two more runs were scored for the Eagles in the top of the ninth by Portaro who scored on an error. Freshman utility Riley Mitchell also scored off of a Cody single to left, leaving Biola with the victory, 8-1.
FATIGUE SETTING IN
With the Eagles going into game two with confidence from game one, Concordia woke up and proved that they are not going down easy. CUI scored three runs in the bottom of the first inning, and then an additional run in the bottom of the fourth, putting Concordia up 4-0 in the blink of an eye. Biola froze the rest of the game, unable to produce a single run, losing to CUI 0-4 in seven innings.
The Eagles now sit at a 9-14 overall record. They will have a quick turnaround and travel back home to host CUI for another doubleheader at Eagles Diamond on Saturday, April 24 starting at 12 p.m.
