LA MIRADA, Calif. – Hawai'i Pacific University dropped its final road game of the season, suffering a 9-6 PacWest Conference loss at Biola on Saturday afternoon at Eagles Field.
 
The Sharks (21-25, 8-20) couldn't overcome a five-run inning from the Eagles (24-16, 15-13) in the final game of an eight-game southern California road swing.
 
The Sharks got a powerful day from senior first baseman Christian Kapeliela of Kaneohe, Hawai'i/Castle, who was 2-for-3 with two walks, a home run and three RBIs on the day. Senior leftfielder Jordan Mopas of Ewa Beach, Hawai'i/St. Louis School was 2-for-4 with a run scored, while junior second baseman Jalen Bustos of Oakland, Calif./Bishop O'Dowd was 3-for-4 with a run scored.
 
Freshman righthander Shane Adams (3-3) of Honolulu/Mid-Pacific Institute took the loss, allowing five runs, four earned, on three hits with three walks and two strikeouts in 2.1 innings as the Sharks sent six pitchers to the hill. Senior righty Christian Miller of Bremerton, Wash./Central Kitsap, allowed two runs, one earned, on two hits with a walk and two strikeouts, while senior Josh Savea of Gold River, Calif./Rio Americano allowed a run on two hits and two walks in two innings and junior righty Travis Paynter of Port Angeles, Wash./Port Angeles allowed a run on three hits with a walk in 1.2 innings.
 
HPU opened the scoring in the third, getting two on to set up Kapeliela with his sixth home run of the season, a three-run shot to left field to put the Sharks up 3-0.
 
But in the bottom of the third, the Eagles answered with a bomb of their own. Two singles and a walk loaded the bases for Robert Anthony Cruz who rifled the first pitch he saw in the at-bat over the right field fence for a grand slam.  A two-out fielding error by HPU allowed a fifth run to score and Biola never looked back up 5-3.
 
In the fourth, the Eagles struck again on a two RBI single from Jackson Collins to put Biola up 7-3.
 
HPU countered with two runs in the top of the fifth after Kapeliela walked and Mopas was hit by a pitch. Junior pinch hitter Jared Bannister of San Ramon, Calif./Bishop O'Dowd lofted a sacrifice fly, and Mopas came home on a wild pitch pulling the Sharks within two again at 7-5.
 
A Brandon Cody RBI single in the sixth gave BU an 8-5 advantage.
 
The Sharks got one back in the eighth when junior pinch hitter Jake Selco of West Hills, Calif./El Camino Real touched them all with his sixth home run of the year to make it 8-6. HPU got two more on, but stranded the runners at second and third.
 
The Eagles tacked the insurance run back on in the bottom of the eighth when Cruz scored on a throwing error.
 
While Larson Kindreich started the contest and struck out 10 Sharks, he allowed five runs, all earned, on six hits and four walks in just 4.2 innings. Chris Despars (1-0) was credited with the win, striking out two  and walking one in allowing two hits in 2.1 innings. Honus Kindreich allowed a run on a hit while facing two batters in one-third of an inning. Josh Ludeman finished up, collecting his sixth save in striking out one with two hits in 1.2 innings.
 
HPU returns home to conclude the season with a final home series against Holy Names that starts on Thursday. The single games on Thursday and Friday start at 6 p.m., with a Saturday Senior Day doubleheader slated for 2 p.m. at Hans L'Orange Park.