Tyler Kuehl and Kevin Newburg each drove in two runs while pitchers Steven Winnick and Josh Dexheimer held ninth-ranked Vanguard in check as the No. 12 Sea Lions claimed an important 5-2 victory on Wednesday.

With the win, PLNU (26-8-1, 15-6 GSAC) claimed game one of the four-game series with the Lions (35-7, 16-5) and edge one game closer to second place in the conference standings. The same two teams will play at 3:00 pm on Thursday in Costa Mesa before the series moves to San Diego for a doubleheader on Saturday.

Vanguard scored the first run of the game in the bottom of the second inning. Meanwhile Lion starter Brandon Godfrey kept the Sea Lion offense at bay until the the fifth. That's when PLNU broke through for three runs, capped by Newburg's two-run single. Jeff Fox followed with a RBI hit to make the score 3-1.

The Lions pushed across a run in the sixth to close the gap to just one run. Dexheimer relieved Winnick after that second run crossed the plate and induced a pop up to end VUSC's threat. Dexheimer stayed in control for the remainder of the GSAC tilt, earning the save with 3.1 scoreless innings of work.

Point Loma added a pair of insurance runs in the ninth when Kuehl blasted his fifth homerun of the year.

The Sea Lions collected ten hits, led by two-hit efforts from Fox and Alex Cameron.

Winnick, the defending GSAC Pitcher of the Week, improved to 7-1 with the win. The senior allowed just one earned run in 5.2 innings on the hill. Dexheimer picked up his third save this year.

Godfrey suffered his first setback of the year, falling to 6-1.