SAN DIEGO – Point Loma Nazarene wrapped up the regular season by splitting a GSAC doubleheader with NAIA No. 3-ranked California Baptist at Carroll B. Land Stadium Saturday on Senior Day. The Sea Lions won the opener 6-2, but it was the Lancers taking the nightcap 2-1.

With the game two win CBU (41-12, 26-10 GSAC) claims the conference title and will host the GSAC Tournament. PLNU (27-20, 19-17 GSAC) finishes fifth in the standings and will meet up with No. 12 Biola in a first-round game starting at noon on Tuesday.

The Sea Lions got all the runs they needed in the first inning of the opener when third baseman Shain Stoner smashed a three-run homerun over the left centerfield fence.  Point Loma made the score 5-0 by pushing across two runs in the fourth.

California Baptist scored a run in the sixth but a Clinton Harwick RBI double in the bottom of the frame gave the Sea Lions that run back.  The Lancers threatened in the ninth but a big rally opportunity produced just one run thanks to reliever Chris Gonzales who struck out the side to preserve the win for PLNU and starter Jack Archie (7-1).

Archie was on the hill for six frames and allowed one run on five hits. He was helped out by his defense which pulled in a few deep drives and hard shots. Centerfielder Allen Boyer made a couple of highlight catches.

It's been said that baseball is a game of inches. Game two was proof of that. The Sea Lions ended up falling 2-1 but could just as easily have come away with a sweep and temporarily deny CBU the conference crown.

Leftfielder Rashad Taylor was called out on a very close play at first in the fourth. If called safe it would have set up a first and third with one out chance for the Sea Lions.

Instead, PLNU went into the seventh and final inning trailing 2-1. The Sea Lions promptly loaded the bases and had senior slugger Tyler Kuehl at the plate with one out. Kuehl smashed a ball down the leftfield line that was just a few inches wide of giving Point Loma a 3-2 win.

Lancer ace Devyn Rivera induced a 6-4-3 double play on the next pitch, however, and the Lancers were celebrating their second consecutive conference title.

“When we are able to show up we can compete with anyone,” said PLNU coach Joe Schaefer. “They are the third-ranked team in the country and we had them on the ropes. We played flawless baseball for nearly 18 innings. If a couple calls go our way, we would have taken two.”

Taking the loss in game two was Kenny Houser (4-3). The PLNU senior lasted 4.2 innings, yielding two runs.

Rivera improved to 9-2 after a complete-game effort.

Biola, Point Loma's first-round playoff opponent, beat the Sea Lions three out of four in 2011. The Eagles head into the postseason with a 33-18 record.

“We didn't play very well for the first few weeks of the year,” said Schaefer. “But the good news is that we played much better the last three weeks. Things are looking brighter going into the playoffs. If we play like we are capable, we are going to be hard to beat.”