AZUSA, Calif. – Unranked Biola University used a 6-run, 6th-inning explosion to snap a 3-3 tie and go on to sweep a Golden State Athletic Conference doubleheader from No. 24-ranked Azusa Pacific Saturday afternoon, 2-0 and 9-3.
The sweep has little bearing on the upcoming GSAC Postseason Tournament other than it will likely cost the Cougars a spot in the NAIA coaches poll and certainly give the Eagles an added boost of confidence heading into the conference tournament. Biola and Azusa Pacific are expected to face each other in the opening round on April 28.
After Azusa Pacific tied the second game at 3-3 in the top of the sixth on Natalie Barnaby's 2-out RBI single up the middle, Biola came back with 5 singles in the bottom half of the frame an parlayed one critical Cougar error into 6 runs, including 3 that were unearned off Cougar starter Erin Halma
Azusa Pacific had taken a 2-0 lead in the first inning on Bekah Weisser's double down the leftfield line that scored Jen Whitten and Halma, both of whom had singled earlier in the inning.
After Biola pushed across an unearned run in the second, the Eagles took the lead on Krista Johnson's fourth home run of the season, a 2-run bomb to centerfield in the fourth inning. Johnson eventually scored the go-ahead run in the sixth, the first of 6 runs that clinched the sweep for Biola.
In the first game Biola scored single runs in the third and fourth innings and that's all pitcher Kristin Larson, and reliever Lyndsie Roberts needed after the 2 hurlers held the Cougars to just 2 hits over 7 innings while handing the Cougars' their 11th shutout loss in 20 setbacks this season.
Halma went 4-for-6 on the day with a run scored while Weisser was 3-for-5 with a double and a pair of RBIs. Weisser is batting a fine .340 over the past 22 games and a team-leading 14 RBIs since March 14.
The Cougars have now lost 7 of their past 8 and fall 22-20 on the season, 8-12 in the GSAC, a game behind fourth-place Biola, and 2 games ahead of sixth-place Vanguard University. The 6 teams all advance to the GSAC Tournament with the fourth- and fifth-place teams facing each other in the opening round, which is likely to be Azusa Pacific and Biola – once again.
