KYLE TREMBLEY
CONTRIBUTOR

Completing a double-header sweep on the day and series sweep for the season, #4-ranked Cal State San Marcos looked sharp at home against Biola University on Friday, winning 5-0 and 8-0.

The #4-ranked Cougars improved to 33-6 on the season. Biola dropped to 23-19.

Pitcher Brenna Sandberg was lights-out in both games, throwing all 13 innings on the day and holding Biola scoreless. The wins improve Sandberg’s NAIA-best record to 29- 5. She allowed just three hits in both games, striking out nine in the first and six in the second.

Sandberg had plenty of support, both at the plate and in the field. Biola’s best scoring chance in game one came in the third inning, as the Eagles moved two runners into scoring position with one out. But a medium-shallow fly ball was caught by left fielder Alicia Ingram, and she gunned out the runner at home with a perfect throw to keep the shutout intact.

At the plate in game one, CSUSM jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first and never looked back. Derrisha Lacey led off by driving a triple to the left-center field gap, and after Alicia Ingram walked and stole second, Alex Miller drew a walk to load the bases. Shanti Poston plated Lacey with a sac fly, and Ingram would come home to score on a wild pitch.

With the score 3-0 in the fifth, the Cougars would put it out of reach, courtesy of an RBI single from Kimi Villalpando and a fielder’s choice by Theresa Houle where pinch runner Brittney Guy beat the throw home on a ground ball.

Game two would stay scoreless for a couple innings, but the Cougar offense strung a few crooked numbers together in the middle innings to end it after six.

First baseman Alyssa Dronenburg got things going in the third, just crushing a no-doubt-about- it two-run home run over the fence in left. CSUSM would plate two the following frame as well, with Heavin-Lee Rodriguez driving in a run with a base hit and scoring on a Lacey single.

The Cougars came close to ending it in the fifth, scoring three times to make it 7-0. Theresa Houle drilled her second double of the day, plating Miller and Dronenburg, and Jalisa Mc- Carvel would add a deep sacrifice fly later in the inning.

CSUSM wasted little time closing things out in the seventh. Kaitlin McGinley led off by beating out an infield single, stealing second and coming home on a Miller triple to right.

On the day, Miller reached base in seven of her eight plate appearances.

The Cougars will be in action at home again next Friday when they take on La Sierra.

Photo courtesy of csusm.edu