Westmont Baseball (6-10-1, 1-4 GSAC) dropped the first game of a four-game Golden State Athletic Conference series to the Eagles of Biola (8-10, 2-3) on Thursday afternoon, losing by a score of 5-2.
All the scoring took place in the first two and one-half innings of the game.
Biola took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first when Vinnie Fayard hit a sacrifice fly to deep center field to drive in Benji Sutherland.
Westmont came back in the bottom half of the initial inning with two runs. Brent Fukushima led off with a walk and took second on a bunt single by David Pennington. J.J. Turbin duplicated Pennington’s effort, loading the bases with no outs. A walk to Tim Leary brought in Fukushima. Pennington then scored on a sacrifice fly to right field by Coby Cress.
In the top of the second inning, the Eagles tied the score at two, courtesy of a sacrifice fly to center field by Michael Chriss.
The top of the third made the difference in the game. After Fayard doubled down the left field line to start the inning, Nick Covyeau did the same, driving in Fayard. Covyeau would later score on a RBI single by Chriss. An RBI single by Sutherland accounted for the third run.
Starter Torin Shaikh was assigned the loss after pitching two and one third innings, allowing five runs, four earned, on five hits. Ryan Sullivan closed out the game for the Warriors pitching six and two-third scoreless innings while allowing nine hits.
Biola’s Jeff Grijalva was awarded the win. The started pitched seven and one-third innings, allowing two runs on six hits.
The same two teams will play again on Friday at Russ Carr Field beginning at 2:00 p.m. On Saturday, the series moves to La Mirada for an 11:00 a.m. doubleheader.
