By Ron Smith
April 20, 2024
 
(SANTA BARBARA, Calif.) After winning the first game of Saturday's doubleheader with the Eagles of Biola (21-24-1, 11-16 PacWest) by the score of 7-5, #15 Westmont (31-12-4, 22-5-1) dropped the second by a 6-1 tally. Those results, along with a doubleheader sweep by Point Loma over Azusa Pacific, mean that the Warriors are tied with Point Loma Nazarene (33-8-1, 22-5-1) atop the PacWest Standings with four games remaining in conference play.
 
The Warriors rallied in the eighth inning of game one, turning a 5-4 deficit into a 7-5 lead to claim the eventual victory. Sean Youngerman started the game for the Warriors but did not figure in the decision. He pitched six innings, allowing five runs on six hits. Youngerman is 8-0 on the year and the Warriors have won all 12 games in which he appeared.
 
Biola took the games' first lead on a solo home run by James Whitman in the second inning. The Eagles added two more in the top of the third to go up 3-0. Wyatt Duncan drove in a run with a sacrifice fly to center and Noah Ruiz drove in the other with an RBI-single to left.
 
In the bottom of the fourth, Westmont took advantage of Eagle miscues to tie the game at three runs apiece. Jack Bollengier led off and reached when the ball slipped under the glove of the second baseman. Bollengier advanced to second when Bryce McFeely was hit by a pitch.
 
One out later, Trey Dunn doubled to left field, driving in Bollengier and moving McFeely over to third. A sacrifice fly by Liam Critchett to center field not only scored McFeely, but allowed Dunn to slide into third safely.
 
A ground ball to third by Finn Snyder should have ended the inning, but an errant throw allowed Snyder to reach and Dunn to dash home, tying the game.
 
After a scoreless fifth, Biola retook the lead in the top of the sixth when Whitman hit his second home run of the game, this one a two-run shot to right center.
 
Westmont pulled within one in the bottom of the seventh. Patterson led off with a single to center, then reached second on a wild pitch. Bollengier drove in Patterson with a single up the middle, making the score 5-4.
 
In the top of the eighth, the Eagles had one away with men on first and second when Sam Kim was asked to take over the mound. Kim was one of five seniors honored in Senior Day festivities before the game.
 
Kim needed just one pitch to secure the third out of the inning and keep the Warriors within one. As it turned out, that would be the only pitch he would throw and the only one he would need to earn his second win of the season.
 
In the bottom of the eighth, Westmont once again capitalized on Eagle mistakes. With one away, Guidara singled up the middle to start the rally. Then Colin Callahan singled down the left field line and took second on a throw to third to try and retire Guidara. The Warriors' catcher was safe, giving Westmont two runners in scoring position.
 
A fly ball to shallow left field by Patterson should have resulted in the Warriors' second out. But the ball was dropped, allowing Patterson to reach and Guidara to score. That brought up Bollinger who laid a bunt down the left side of the infield. The third baseman recovered it and threw to first. His throw was not only too late to gun down Bollengier, but also off the mark. As a result, Callahan scored to give the Warriors the lead as Patterson reached third.
 
McFeely then hit a bounding ball to third and beat out the throw for an RBI-infield single that scored Patterson and resulted in the games' final 7-5 score.
 
Zach Yates came in to pitch the ninth and earned his ninth save of the year.
 
The second game did not go as well for the Warriors. The offense managed just five hits and never more than one in an inning. The only run was scored by Guidara in the bottom of the fifth on a home run to right field. It was his sixth home run and 15th RBI of the season.
 
The Senior Day celebration honored four other seniors in addition to Kim: Critchett, an economics and business major; Snyder, a history major; Aidan Holly, who is double majoring in psychology and economics and business; and Lucien Wechsberg, also an economics and business major.
 
The Warriors will take a break from PacWest play to host Hope International on Tuesday in the final game of the season at Russ Carr Field. Then on Friday and Saturday, Westmont will travel to Irvine for a four-game series with Concordia (20-19, 14-14) to end the season.
 
The Warriors will be keeping an eye on the scoreboard next weekend to see how Point Loma Nazarene fares in their final series with Biola. The two teams will play in San Diego on Friday and in La Mirada on Saturday. At stake for both Westmont and Point Loma is the PacWest Regular Season Championship.