Back-to-back losses to NAIA No. 8 Azusa Pacific University this Saturday ushered in the end of Biola softball in 2012. The Eagles’ season was capped off by 12 straight losses, resulting in a 1-13 Golden State Athletic Conference record.

Despite the losing streak, Biola played their opponents closely. The team lost seven of those games by three or fewer runs, including five one-run losses. They remain optimistic about next season as a result.

“We are a young team and those close games only made us stronger on and off the field,” freshman Brooke Madrid said. “We are only losing one senior this year and now that the team has a full year of playing together I don’t think those teams have a chance against us next year.”

Cougars take final games of historic rivalry

In what were the final GSAC matchups with rival APU, Biola fell 8-5 and 9-1 at home to the Cougars on Saturday.

The Eagles were paced by sophomore Natalie Parker in their 8-5 game-one loss on Saturday. Parker went 2-for-4 with three RBIs. Azusa’s Erika Marmolejo went 2-for-3 with a home run and three RBIs of her own to lead the Cougars in the win.

In game two Biola was limited to just three hits by Azusa’s Rita Kim, who threw five shutout innings with seven strikeouts. Olivia Wilcox went 3-for-4 with 3 RBIs and two runs scored in the contest for APU, while Biola’s Madrid collected two of the team’s three hits.

Madrid leads freshman with promising year

Madrid finished the season third on the team in batting with a .324 average. Madrid enjoyed a successful freshman season as she also finished third on the team in hits with 44 while splitting time between the infield and outfield. Still, she credits her teammates in helping her out.

“It feels good but knowing that I have good hitters coming up to bat after me made my job a lot easier,” Madrid said.

Six players on this year’s squad were freshmen and all but one player will be returning next season, painting a good picture for the future of this team.

“This year was a building year, understanding what is required from each of us and learning to play with one another,” Madrid said. “I believe this past year allowed us to develop some great chemistry, so next year it’s going to be hard to beat us, if at all.”