By Ron Smith
April 19, 2024
 
(LA MIRADA, Calif.) Westmont and Biola renewed their rivalry at Eagles Diamond on Friday afternoon with the start of a four-game PacWest Conference series. The Warriors and Eagles split a doubleheader with #15 Westmont prevailing 4-1 in the first game and Biola claiming the second game 9-4.
 
As he is accustomed to doing, Bryan Peck took the mound for the Warriors in game one and improved to 8-1 on the year with the win. Peck scattered seven hits, allowing just one run in seven innings of work. He struck out six and issued one walk.
 
Half of his strikeouts came in the bottom of the sixth. After giving up a lead-off single to Wyatt Duncan, Peck struck out the next three batters.
 
Aidan Holly pitched the eighth inning for the Warriors, retiring the side in order. Westmont's head coach Tyler LaTorre sent closer Zach Yates into the game to pitch the ninth. Biola put men on first and second with one away, but Yates induced a pop-up by Jonathan Kumai and then struck out Jonathan Smith on three pitches to secure his eighth save of the season.
 
Westmont took the lead in the top of the third inning after a lead-off double by Andrew Guidara. A ground out to second by Colin Callahan advanced Guidara to third before Daniel Patterson singled to right to bring Guidara home. After Patterson stole second, then reached third on a wild pitch, Jack Bollengier earned an RBI with a groundout to second, making the score 2-0.
 
The Warriors doubled their run total in the top of the fifth to take a 4-0 lead. Patterson led off the inning by reaching on an error. Then, Bollengier singled to left, moving Patterson to second. That brought up McFeely whose fly out to the warning track in right field allowed both runners to advance. One out later, Trey Dunn delivered a two-RBI single to center.
 
Biola brought their bats out in the second game and the Warriors couldn't keep pace. The Eagles put up four runs in the bottom of the third to take a 4-0 lead.
 
One swing of the bat by Daniel Patterson tied the game in the top of the fourth with a grand slam to left field. It was Patterson's 15th home run of the year, which puts him at third on the single-season record list. He currently trails Timothy Leary who holds both of the top two positions on the list. In 2010, Leary hit 16 home runs to become the all-time leader. Then in 2012, Leary broke his own record with 17.
 
Unfortunately for the Warriors, that was all the runs they would produce.
 
Biola and Westmont will resume the series on Saturday with a doubleheader at Russ Carr Field beginning at 11:00 a.m. Prior to the game, the Warriors will honor five seniors for their significant contributions to Westmont Baseball.