IRVINE, Calif. – Four runs were all Biola needed to advance to the final game of the winners’ bracket as Paige Austin threw a gem through five innings and was helped by a big defensive play from Ruth Munoz to preserve the lead and win 4-3 against Northwest Nazarene on Thursday at Concordia University.
 
Biola scrapped together a pair of runs, and then Jennifer Morinishi hit a 2-RBI single to extend Biola’s lead to 4-0 through four innings. Meanwhile, Austin was working on another one of her gems. In the first five innings, the first-team All-PacWest pitcher had surrendered only one hit and struck out nine batters.
 
Austin remained dominant at the start of the sixth inning getting a foul out and then her 10^th punchout of the game to put the Eagles within four outs of the victory. However, postseason games are rarely that simple.
 
“I told the girls on the way over here ‘welcome to the postseason,’” Biola head coach Nikki Udria said. “I would have been surprised if that’s not how the game ended. In the postseason, the teams remaining are the best of the best.”
 
Austin issued just her third walk of the game, and a single put runners on first and second with two outs. Then Madison Felter sent a home run over the left-field fence to cut the deficit to just one run for the Nighthawks.
 
The momentum of the Nighthawks’ comeback was stopped there when Austin picked up her 11^th strikeout of the game. That ended the inning, but Eagles still needed three more outs to secure the win.
 
“It felt great,” Austin said about getting the strikeout right after the home run. “All eyes are on you when things like that happen, and you have to stay positive. I had to trust in my ability and trust that I was the best person to be out there in that moment.”
 
Abigail Gagnon led off the seventh inning with a double that one-hopped the fence in leftfield. The tying run then advanced to third base on a sacrifice bunt that was executed with two strikes. Austin’s first pitch to the next batter was grounded sharply to Munoz, who came up with it cleanly. Gagnon tried to advance on the grounder, but Munoz threw her out at home with Kayla Neff applying the tag.
 
“In my prior at bat, I went into the dugout frustrated with taking two strikes, but I calmed myself down, and reminded myself that my team needs me,” Munoz said. “I wasn’t expecting her to go, but I heard coach saying ‘go, go!’ It was a big play, and big props to Kayla for being there.”
 
Another walk put runners on first and second, but Austin got the next batter to fly out to centerfield for the final out of the game. Biola advances to play against Hawai`i Hilo in the final of the winners’ bracket on Friday. The winner of that game will be just one win away from a regional title. Northwest Nazarene will now have to go through the elimination bracket and will face Concordia tonight.
 
“This is a big opportunity to be in this stage of the tournament,” Munoz said. “We know what kind of team they are, and we are ready to take them on. It comes down to who wants it more. I think we do.”
 
Munoz’s heroics at the end of the game is what will be most remembered about Biola’s first NCAA postseason win in program history, but the way she started the game also was important for the Eagles’ success. After a four-pitch walk, she advanced to second base on an error. Munoz moved to third base when Morinishi hit a ground ball on the right side of the infield. She eventually scored when a groundball to second base was mishandled, giving Biola the first run of the game.
 
Both pitchers were settled in after that and began to put zeroes up on the board. The Nighthawks broke up Austin’s no-hitter in the fourth inning, but weren’t able to translate that into runs on the board. The bottom half of the inning was led off by a single from Kylie Velasco, who advanced from first to third on a sacrifice bunt. Rylee Ruvalcaba drove in the second run of the game with a single into rightfield.
 
Allie Beck then hit a single as well to put two runners aboard with just one out. Munoz moved both runners into scoring position with a productive out, bringing Morinishi to the plate. She delivered with a single into rightfield. Her two RBI-single proved to supply the Eagles with two crucial insurance runs that eventually became the difference in the game.
 
“Looking back at the season as a whole, Jenn has stepped up when the game has been on the line,” Udria said, “so I had no doubt in her ability to be in that situation and thrive. When we talk about clutch hitting, it has been Jenn Morinishi this season stepping up in those opportunities. Sometimes as a coach, you can see the look in your player’s eyes, so I knew that when she stepped in the box that she would put a good swing on it. It is really cool to see your players be confident and see them execute.”
 
Biola and Hawai`i Hilo will meet for the first time this season at noon on Friday. The Eagles faced Hawai`i Hilo in their trip to Hawai`i at the start of the 2020 conference season, and the Vulcans won three of the four games, including 2-1 win in 10 innings. However, the Eagles outscored the Vulcans overall in the series, 10-8. The winner of that game will advance straight to Saturday’s Championship Game, while the loser will have to play again on Friday night to earn a spot in the regional final.