[Game 1 box score] [Game 2 box score] [Photo gallery]

SAN DIEGO - The Point Loma baseball team proved Saturday that when you get good starting pitching it makes the game much easier as they swept a doubleheader from Azusa Pacific 6-1 and 5-2. PLNU got a complete game effort from Justin Lawrence in the opener and strong start from Sebastian Santos in game two to take three of four games from APU in the series.

Point Loma is now 11-12 on the season and 9-7 in the Pacific West Conference. The losses drop APU to 5-17 and to 3-9 in the conference.

Game 1
Justin Lawrence threw a complete game and the Sea Lions put up four runs in the second inning to earn a 6-1 win over Azusa Pacific in the opener.

Lawrence (3-2) scattered six hits and gave up just one run while striking out seven to lower his ERA to 3.46 and pick up his third complete game of the season. Lawrence held APU scoreless through the first seven innings while allowing just three hits.

"Lawrence has been pretty good his last few outings so we were hoping for what we got out of him today," said PLNU head coach Joe Schaefer. "To do it on a day after we dropped the opener and knowing we had to win both is great."

Mike Marcoux drove in three runs and Tyler Nordgren had three hits in support of Lawrence. Marcoux came through with the big hit in the inning as he drove in two runs with a bases loaded single. Andy Littlefield and AJ Derr also picked up RBIs in the inning.

PLNU added insurance runs in the third on a RBI-groundout by Clinton Harwick and Marcoux would get his third RBI of the game in the sixth on a bases loaded walk.

Ryan Henley was the only student-athlete for APU to record a multi-hit game. Jason Plowman (2-3) took the loss after giving up nine hits and six runs over six innings. 

Game 2
Zach Allen will never forget his first home run as a Sea Lion, as the junior second base man launched a grand slam over the left field wall in the second inning to help lead PLNU to a 5-2 win.

Allen's grand slam came in support of Sebastian Santos (3-1) who earned his third win of the season by allowing just five hits and two runs. He struck out five in his six innings of work. Garret Levsen closed the door with a scoreless seventh inning to tie for the PacWest lead with three saves.

Allen would finish the game 1-for-2 with a walk, home run, two runs scored and four RBI. He now leads the Sea Lions with 16 runs knocked in this season. PLNU was outhit in the game 6-5 but Allen's four-run blast proved to be the difference.

"Our goal every week is to win the series," explained Schaefer. "Dropping the first game of the series makes that tough to do but to come out and win three in a row, and two on one day, is a big deal at home or on the road.

"We were happy with how we pitched today, but I think we can still get better offensively," added Schaefer.

Next games 
Point Loma will be home again on Wednesday, Mar. 20 when it host Bethesda University in a single, nine-inning game starting at 3:00 p.m.