Biola baseball rebounded from a disappointing series against Point Loma by sweeping Academy of Art at Eagles Diamond over the weekend. The Eagles outscored the Urban Knights 38-15 over the course of four games, dominating their PacWest opponent at the plate and on the bases.
SLUGGING SERRATOS
The first game of Saturday’s doubleheader featured a stellar hitting display by Eagles’ right fielder Oscar Serratos. Serratos went four-for-five in the batter’s box, with two of his hits leaving the yard for home runs in a 9-3 Biola win.
“My approach [at the plate] is pretty simple for the most part,”Serratos said. “I just try to stay in the middle of the field and focus on making loud and hard contact. Most people say that I look like I’m trying to hit a home run every time, but in reality I’m just trying to hit the ball hard.”
Serratos’s performance nearly resulted in the second cycle of his collegiate career. The veteran outfielder recorded a triple and a double to go along with his two homers, being only a single shy of the cycle.
“[The cycle] did cross my mind,” said Serratos. “I was trying to hit a single and I started to chase pitches that I don’t normally swing at … However, I ended up hitting a home run which was a good — if not better — result.”
TWO BOMBS, ONE INNING
The second game of Saturday’s double header was headlined by two home runs in the first inning by Wyatt Duncan and Sam Lisiak. The power hitters combined for five RBI’s in the frame, setting the tone that led to a 12-2 blowout victory for the Eagles.
Freshman shortstop Noah Ruiz also joined the home run club with a solo shot in the bottom of the fourth, hitting the second home run of his young career as an Eagle.
“My approach was super aggressive and I wanted to put a swing on anything in the middle of the plate,” said Ruiz. “I continually told myself ‘this pitch will be the pitch’ and if it was there I’d try and put a barrel on it.”
SUNDAY SWEEP
Biola officially completed the sweep against ART U on Sunday, defeating the Urban Knights 6-2 and 11-8. The Biola bats combined for 21 hits in both games of the double header with players contributing throughout the lineup.
“I felt like we were committed to grinding at bats all weekend,” said Head Coach Jesse Rodgers. “We took our walks, put pressure on the bases and hit the ball out of the yard too. We have emphasized being early and using the middle of the field and that translated to more offense and taking advantage of our opportunities.”
The four wins against ART U drastically improved Biola’s conference record, boosting the Eagles to a fourth place standing in the PacWest.
“After a rough start to conference [play] in Hawaii, the sweep gets us back to [an even record] at 6-6 and also gives us a chance to control our destiny,” said Rodgers. “From the beginning of the season we have been talking about playing good baseball and when we do that we can play with anyone in our conference.”
The Eagles now head into a crucial stretch of conference play where they will face opponents, including Point Loma, Azusa Pacific, Concordia and Holy Names as Biola pursues a bid in the PacWest conference tournament.
