On March 18-19, the Eagles returned home for a pair of doubleheaders against the University of Hawaii Hilo Vulcans. Despite some push back from their opponents, the Eagles outplayed the Vulcans in three out of four games this weekend.
FRIDAY — RETURN TO THE NEST
The Eagles first home game in nearly a month was a soaring success, but it started out slow. Neither team scored runs in the first two innings. Biola picked up the pace in the third inning with a double to left field by senior infielder Oscar Serratos Jr. that brought junior outfielder Tyler Baca home.
The momentum from Baca’s run spread to the team and redshirt junior first baseman Rylan Greenlee capitalized on it with a double to center field that brought freshman infielder Bobby Brown and Serratos in, giving the Eagles a 3-0 advantage. The Eagles furthered their score at the bottom of the fourth inning led by an outstanding homer from Baca that also brought in sophomore outfielder Brenden Bell, advancing the score to 5-0.
The last run for the Eagles came at the bottom of the sixth when a fly out to infield by Brown allowed sophomore infielder Andrew Lujan to run home. The eighth and ninth innings were uneventful for Biola, but the Vulcans managed to add three runs. Their efforts were not enough and the Eagles won overall, 6-3.
FRIDAY — CLOSE CALL
The Vulcans began to fight back against the Eagles in the second game. The Vulcans scored the first run of the game at the top of the first inning. Brown countered this with a single to center field at the bottom of the inning to bring home Baca, but the Eagles were unable to capitalize on the lead.
The third inning saw another two runs for the Vulcans, but the Eagles were able to counter them again with three runs. Lujan tripled to right field, bringing in sophomore outfielder Evan Rowe and Serratos. Lujan found home next due to a double through the left side by sophomore catcher Rhett Stein. This gave the Eagles a one-point advantage leading into the fourth inning, 4-3. The Vulcans tied the score in the fifth inning and advanced by one run at the top of the sixth. Undeterred, Serratos tripled through the right to bring in a run from Bell.
With a tied score leading into the bottom of the seventh inning, the Eagles were prepared to advance their lead. The Eagles scored two runs off of their opponent’s errors. First, a wild pitch allowed Rowe to run home and an error from the Vulcans’ third baseman brought Lujan home. The Eagles were up 7-5 by the end of the inning.
The eighth inning was not as kind to the Eagles and the Vulcans added two runs of their own to tie the score. Junior infielder Tyler White corrected the tie at the bottom of the eighth with a single to right field that brought Serratos home. The Vulcans were unable to score in the ninth inning, leading the Eagles to win overall, 8-7.
SATURDAY — ANOTHER VICTORY
Despite a slow start, the Eagles crushed the Vulcans on the third game of the four-game series. Brown secured the first run of the game off of an error by the catcher at the bottom of the fourth. Soon after, Greenlee sailed the ball out to right field, allowing Serratos to bring in another run. The fifth inning saw another five runs for the Eagles. With no bases loaded, Lujan homered for a run batted in. Baca singled to right field to bring in White, and a fly out to infield by Brown gave Bell an opening to score. Next, Rowe singled to second base as Baca returned home safely. Serratos earned the last run of the inning off of a walk, 7-1.
The Vulcans earned two more runs at the top of the sixth and one more in the seventh inning. The Eagles did not counter until the bottom of the eighth. Redshirt sophomore first baseman Wyatt Duncan led the charge with a single to center field and advanced to second on the throw. His single brought three runners in—Serratos, Baca and Bell.
The Vulcans were unable to redeem themselves in the ninth inning and the Eagles won, 10-6.
BEST THREE OUT OF FOUR
Despite a solid performance and weekend winning streak, the Eagles were unable to win the last game on Saturday. The Vulcans went out swinging and quickly secured a three-point lead by the second inning. Biola pushed back, but the Vulcans gradually increased the point deficit.
The Eagles fought hard in the seventh inning to decrease the Vulcans’ seven-point advantage. White scored off of a fly out to infield by redshirt sophomore catcher Taylor Justus. Later in the inning, Serratos homered, bringing in four runs—himself, Brown, Baca and sophomore infielder Riley Mitchell. It was not enough as the Vulcans kept the lead, 9-7.
Baseball (11-9 overall, 8-4 PacWest) will face off against the Cal Poly Pomona Broncos on March 22 at 5 p.m. Stats from today’s game are located on the Biola Athletics website.
