SAN DIEGO – Point Loma Nazarene dropped a 10-6 Golden State Athletic Conference game to Biola Friday afternoon at Carroll B. Land Stadium despite outhitting the Eagles 15-10. The loss was the seventh in the last eight games for the Sea Lions (16-27, 8-18 GSAC). 

The two conference rivals each scored at least one run in their first three at-bats. Bryan Burkhead and Clinton Harwick had RBI hits in the first and second innings respectively for the Sea Lions. Ricky Gingras smacked a solo homer to start the third with Andy Littlefield driving in Point Loma's fifth run of the day in the same frame.

PLNU was in front 5-3 entering the fifth inning but the Eagles got to starter Justin Lawrence for three runs in the stanza, capped by a two-run shot from Benji Sutherland.

The scoring would come to a stop for the next few innings thanks to solid relief work from PLNU's Garrett Levsen and BU hurlers Erick Allen and Karl Stuck. PLNU was still within striking distance at 6-5 going into the last inning, but the Eagles pushed across four runners in the top of the ninth to take a 10-5 lead, with the puncuation mark supplied on Drake Fages' three-run bomb.

The Sea Lions threatened Biola stopper J.T. Mickelson in the home half of the ninth – and did get one run back – but could get no closer.

Littlefield and Trey Hunt each had three hits for the Sea Lions in the loss with Harwick and Burkhead contributing two hits apiece. What really hurt PLNU was the fact that the team had a runner thrown out on the base paths in each of the first five innings.

The Eagles clubbed three homeruns in the game, one each by Sutherland, Fages and Michael Annunziata.

Lawrence fell to 5-3 after giving up six runs (five earned) on seven hits in five innings. Allen (4-2) earned the win in relief of Jeff Grijalva with Mickelson picking up his fourth save.

Biola improved to 21-23 overall, 14-12 in the GSAC and are on the verge of wrapping up the fourth seed in the conference tournament. The Sea Lions have six more games remaining in the regular season and need to get back on the winning track fast or they will not qualify for the postseason.

PLNU and Biola will conclude their four-game series with a twinbill in La Mirada Saturday, starting at noon.