On Feb. 4, Biola’s softball and baseball teams played hard and strategically in two ball games each. The baseball team took on Cal State San Marcos for the second and third game in a row. The first contest was a hard fought 9-8 effort that came down to the last out, resulting in a losing effort for the Eagles. The second game was all Biola as they shut out the Cougars and won 6-0. The softball team mirrored this effort to an extent. The first game against Chico State was an extremely close 6-4 losing effort, while the second game was a dominant 11-3 victory over Montana State University. 

MEN SHUT OUT THE COUGARS

The Cougars jumped to a heated start in game one, fueled off an electric second inning: they started the game with a 4-0 lead. A home run by freshman first baseman James Whitman started a Biola rally in the fifth inning which was capped off with a sixth inning home run by junior center fielder Brenden Bell. Bell’s home run gave Biola a 7-5 lead, but San Marcos was able to rally after that to take back a 9-7 lead. Although Biola was able to get back one of those runs, they were unable to score again, ending the game with a crushing 9-8 loss. Redshirt junior pitcher Carson Cody kept Biola afloat and closed the game with three shutout innings and four strikeouts. 

The Eagles came into the second game with a chip on their shoulder and avenged their earlier loss with a dominating win. Thanks to freshman pitcher Blake Wentz’s incredible 5.2 inning shutout performance, Biola shut out the Cougars. The offense supported the Eagles’ strong pitching with six runs as well. 

WOMEN’S OFFENSE CRUSHES WILDCATS

The softball team had similar results in their first game against Chico State. Despite a strong performance by junior catcher Brie Nowak, in which she went 2-3 with two RBIs, Biola was unable to overcome an incredible six-run fifth inning by the Wildcats. The women’s team was unable to achieve the comeback the men’s team accomplished, but their next opponent faced the passion which sprouted from the Eagles’ losing effort. In their second game of the day, the Eagles’ offense exploded onto the field. They scored 11 runs in six innings to beat the Yellowjackets 11-3. 

Up next, men’s baseball takes on Metro State four games in a row over the span of three days starting Feb. 9.  Meanwhile, women’s softball will take on San Francisco State twice on Feb. 10. Stats from the match can be found on the Biola Athletics website.