Brandon Dixon and the Sea Lions were one out away from a 5-2 victory over California Baptist Thursday at Carroll B. Land Stadium. But a PLNU error opened the door for a three-run Lancer rally that evened the score and force extra innings. NAIA No. 5-ranked CBU would go on to claim a 7-5 win in 11 innings.

To make matters worse for No. 10-ranked Point Loma (33-14-1, 22-12 GSAC), Vanguard defeated Concordia 10-6 in other conference action Thursday and pulled even with the second-place Sea Lions in the standings. Fresno Pacific also won and trail PLNU and VUSC by just one game with two left in the regular season. The latter three teams will all participate in the GSAC Tournament hosted by conference champions, Cal Baptist, but the final standings will determine final rankings and at-large berths to the Opening Round of the NAIA Tournament.

CBU plated the first run of the game in the fourth inning when Ryan Douglass scored on a wild pitch from Dixon. The Lancers went up 2-0 after a Matt Johnson RBI single in the fifth.

The Sea Lions halved the deficit in the bottom of the fifth. Steven Winnick started the frame with a double and later scored on a ground out by Allen Boyer. PLNU posted back-to-back, two-out singles in the sixth, chasing CBU starter Erik Wallace from the game. Wes Kartch greeted Kolby Moore with a clutch double that plated Rashad Taylor and Kevin Newburg for a 3-2 Sea Lion lead.

That one run seemed enough for Dixon who settled in after a rough couple of innings. The PLNU senior lefty cruised through the next few frames, though he was helped out by excellent defensive plays by Kartch at short and Boyer in center.

Again, Kartch came through at the plate, this time in the eighth. A walk to Jeff Fox and a double by Newburg set the scene for the senior who ripped a two-out single to right that scored both runners and gave the Sea Lions a three-run cushion.

Dixon sent down the first two CBU batters of the ninth and then induced an easy grounder by Kody Sepulvida. PLNU's sure-handed second baseman Alex Cameron bobbled the ball, however, and instead of the game being over, Sepulvida was standing on first.

By this time Dixon was nearing 120 pitches. The next four Lancers all reached base against the tiring starter. Reliever Maurice Wilhelm got the last out but by the time that Dixon was pulled, PLNU's lead had evaporated.

Neither side scored through the next one and a half innings. The Lancers broke the 5-5 deadlock in the 11th when Garrett Rau clubbed a two-run homer.

Wilhelm (0-1) was hung with the loss after 2.1 innings on the mound. The fourth CBU hurler of the game, Mike Barro (2-0), earned the win with three scoreless frames of relief.

The Sea Lions outhit the Lancers 13-11. Six PLNU batters had two hits in the team's final home game of the 2010 season: Boyer, Fox, Newburg, Taylor, Kartch and Winnick.

Ten PLNU seniors (Fox, Kartch, Winnick, Dixon, Cameron, Ian MacMaster, Davis Koenig, Adam Herter, Chad Blauer and Drew Bernhard) were recognized prior to the home finale.

The Sea Lions travel to California Baptist (39-12, 28-6) for an important season-ending doubleheader on Friday. First pitch is at noon. Meanwhile, FPU closes out the year with two at San Diego Christian on Saturday with Vanguard hosting Concordia in a Saturday twinbill.