IRVINE, Calif. – The Eagles' offense exploded during today's doubleheader, scoring 25 total runs on 26 hits between the two games and securing the series split with Biola.
In Game 1, CUI received a phenomenal start from junior
Evan Larsen, who only surrendered 1 hit in 5.0 innings of work. The Costa Mesa native also struck out 6 while walking 3 and earning the win. At the plate, the Eagles unloaded on the ball, scoring 15 runs on 18 hits. Seniors
Haloa Dudoit,
Jair Donovan, and
Bailey Collins each collected 2 hits and at least 1 RBI; while
Matt Lautz,
Cooper Moore, and
Xavier Gonzalez each turned in an impressive 3-hit performance. Senior
Cooper Moore led the offense with 6 RBI, most of which came from a grand slam in the 5
th inning that gave the Eagles a 12-2 lead. CUI would go on to win 15-8.
In Game 2, the bats continued to stay hot as the Eagles scored in all but one inning.
Bailey Collins picked up right where he left off with an RBI single in the bottom of the 1
st. In the 2
nd inning,
Nathan Benefeito scored on a wild pitch, increasing the Eagles lead to 3-0. In the 3
rd inning, back to back 2-run doubles by
Xavier Gonzalez and
Juan Zuniga would bring home 4 more runs, extending the Green & Gold's lead to 7-2. Benefeito would then help seal the win with a 2-run double in the 4
th inning and an RBI single in the 6
th, putting the game out of reach for Biola.
Cole Spear and
Noah McBride held the Red & Black offense at bay, allowing the Green & Gold to complete the doubleheader sweep and split the series.
CUI has now played every team in the southern PacWest "pod". The second half of "pod-play" begins with a rematch against Point Loma starting on Friday, April 9
th at home.
"Moving forward into the 2nd half of the Southern pod, I'm looking for us to improve on how we handle the baseball. If we can handle the ball better defensively and on the mound, we'll give ourselves better opportunities to be successful." – Head Coach Joe Turgeon
Click
here for the full 2021 schedule.
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