Westmont extended its winning streak to 10 games with a doubleheader sweep of Biola on Saturday at Russ Carr Field. The Warriors won the first game 7-5 and ran away with the night cap 11-1 to improve to 13-2 overall and 8-2 in the GSAC.
Starter Daniel Butler (1-0) picked up the win in the opener, allowing just two runs on two hits in six innings of work. Butler struck out two and walked one. Sam Sheehan earned his third save of the season, pitching 1.2 innings without allowing a hit or run. Sheehan struck out two and walked one.
Biola scored two unearned runs in the first inning, but the Warriors evened the score in the bottom half of the third with two unearned runs of their own. With one away, Michael Stefanic reached first on an error and advanced to second. After Stefanic took third on a wild pitch, Alex Bush drilled an RBI-triple to deep left center field. One out later, Bush scored on a wild pitch.
Westmont took the lead in the fifth inning on a pair of runs, one of which was earned. Michael Frigon took a lead-off walk and then advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Stefanic. A single by Bush advanced Frigon to third. An error on a sacrifice bunt by Will Barring scored Frigon, advanced Bush to third and put Barring on first. Blake Mathias then delivered a sacrifice fly to right field to score Bush.
The Eagles made it interesting in the top of the seventh with two baserunners. But reliever Shane Turner used 37 pitches to keep Biola from scoring.
The Warriors stretched their advantage to 6-2 with another pair of unearned runs.
In the top of the eighth, Biola scored three runs to make it a 6-5 game. With two runs in, one away and the bases loaded, Sheehan was called in from the bullpen. After giving up a walk to Andrew Frank to allow the third run of the inning, Sheehan coaxed Rawley Hughes into an inning-ending double play.
Westmont added a single run in the bottom of the eighth inning on a pinch-hit double to center by Graylin Derke. Steven Pollex scored on Derke’s blast after leading off the inning with a walk.
The second game saw Warrior bats explode for 15 hits while the pitching staff held the Eagles to just two. Starter Andrew Vasquez (3-0) pitched five of the scheduled seven innings, allowing just one hit, striking out nine and walking two. Hector Lujan sat the side down in order in the sixth inning and Michael Rishwain closed out the seventh allowing one run on one hit.
