PLNU rediscovered some of that postseason magic, rallying from a 7-1 deficit to defeat Vanguard 19-9 in the first round of the GSAC Tournament on Monday at Totman Field. Rashad Taylor delivered the biggest hit of the day, a three-run blast with two outs in the bottom of the seventh that gave the Sea Lions an 11-9 lead.

Taylor would tack on a grand slam the next inning, part of an offensive onslaught that saw PLNU score 13 unanswered runs and Taylor finish with eight RBI. PLNU (34-16-1) advances to the winner's bracket of the double-elimination tournament and will take on Fresno Pacific tomorrow at 3 p.m. The two-seeded Sunbirds defeated The Master's 4-1 earlier in the day.

Things could not have started off much worse for the Sea Lions Monday. Vanguard scored three runs in the first, a two-run homer by Zachary Leighton and a solo shot from Jason Dovel. PLNU meanwhile stranded seven baserunners over the first three innings, six of them in scoring position.

The Sea Lions got one run across in the first, but left the bases loaded. Eric Krzysiak then got that run back for Vanguard with a home run in the third. The Lions would add three more in the top of the fourth, including a two-run single by Tyson Leighton to make the score 7-1 Vanguard.

PLNU starter Steve Winnick was taken out of the game, having thrown 3 2/3 innings giving up nine hits and seven runs, four of them earned. Robby Ross came in to do damage control and got the final out with the bases loaded, which would prove to be instrumental.

"In the fourth inning I pulled the team aside and we talked about giving our best effort, on not giving up no matter what the score." said PLNU Coach Joe Schaefer. "I thought we were still in the game. We started pitching better and started chipping away."

That chipping away began in the bottom half of the inning, as Jack Diamond singled and scored on a double by Alex Cameron. Tyler Kuehl followed with a double of his own to score Cameron, and Jeff Fox singled to make the score 7-4.

Lion starter Robert Purpura was pulled in the next inning, but the Sea Lions were unable to get any more runs across. Vanguard  tacked on a run in the fifth, but PLNU got two more in the sixth after loading the bases and scoring on a wild pitch and a Wes Kartch sacrifice fly.

Krzysiak singled in another Lion run to extend the lead to 9-6 in the top of the 7th. PLNU's bats went to work in the bottom half of the inning, chasing Lion reliever James McGeary from the game and loading the bases.

Vanguard brought in Adrian Mendoza, who walked Kuehl to bring in a run. Fox delivered an RBI-groundout to make the score 9-8, but there were two outs and runners on second and third. That's when Taylor took a 1-0 pitch to the opposite field, for his team-high 14th homer of the year.

With a three-run lead to work with, Josh Dexheimer worked out of a jam in the eighth. Allen Boyer homered in the bottom half of the inning, scoring his third run of the game and extending the Sea Lion lead to 13-9. PLNU loaded the bases for Taylor who blasted another home run, this time to center field.

"The first homer was smashed, just a no-doubter that gave us a one-run lead," Schaefer said. "I thought the whole time that if we could just get even we would win. After his homerun I felt that the game was over. The second was icing on the cake."

The grand-slam put the Sea Lions up 17-9. The ten-run mercy rule in effect for the first round of the GSAC tournament and Point Loma called that rule into effect. Drew Bernhard doubled home Winnick and Cameron singled in Ronnie Chester to end the game.

"I played in a couple of wild games like that," said Schaefer. "I was on the losing end every time. That was the first time I've been on the winning end."

Ross (5-3) earned the victory while Dexheimer picked up his fifth save of the season. Taylor and Cameron paced the 21-hit Point Loma attack, each with four hits.

PLNU faces Fresno Pacific tomorrow at 3 p.m. The Sea Lions were 3-1 this season against the Sunbirds. Vanguard (32-17) will try to stay alive as they take on Cal Baptist at noon. Concordia and The Master's will play an elimination game at 9 a.m.


-Jeremiah Wood