Riverside, Calif. - The baseball team settled for a split in today's non-conference doubleheader versus Ottawa University – Arizona. The Golden Eagles came from behind, scoring five late runs, in Game 1, to steal a 6-4 win, before falling 10-6 in the second game. The team's record moves to 5-2 on the season, with seven more non-conference games before opening up Cal Pac play on February 23.
Trailing 4-1, entering the bottom of the seventh inning, La Sierra cut the deficit to 4-2, before taking the lead for good with a 4-run bottom of the eighth inning.
Both teams struggled defensively, as they combined for a total of seven errors.
Gabe Gonzales entered the game in relief in the seventh inning, pitching a total of two innings to pick up the win. Closer Eric Lucero pitched a scoreless ninth inning for his third save of the season.
Jake Taylor hit a clutch, 3-RBI triple, which proved to be the game winning hit. Daniel Wray led the team with two hits, a run scored, and a run batted in, while Andrew Lundstrom notched an RBI with a sacrifice fly.
Game 2 was a seven-inning affair in which La Sierra was unable to overcome an early deficit. The Spirit struck for seven runs in the first inning and never looked back. The Golden Eagles got two runs back in the bottom of the inning, and cut the lead to 8-6, with three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning, but that would be as close as they would get.
After committing four errors in Game 1, the team finished with a total of five errors in Game 2, resulting in four unearned runs, all in the first inning, in the second game.
Craig Woolson and Taylor each went 3-for-4 in the game, with Woolson collecting a team-high three RBI's in the loss.
The four unearned runs loomed large in the end, as the team dropped Game 2, 10-6. Despite the loss, the Golden Eagles did outhit the Spirit 12-8.
The Golden Eagles will welcome back Bethesda University, this coming Friday, for another non-conference doubleheader, with the first pitch scheduled for 10am. La Sierra recently took two of three from the Flames, in a three-game series played on January 19 and 21.
