IRVINE, Calif. - In a unique non-conference series against a conference opponent, Point Loma split a doubleheader at Concordia on Friday, Feb. 22. PLNU won the opener 7-3 before dropping the nightcap 8-5.
 
Game 1: Zack Noll was not as sharp as he had been in his previous three starts with PLNU, but he found a way to go six innings to help lead the Sea Lions to a 7-3 win.
 
Noll (2-0) allowed six hits, three walks, and three runs while striking out eight, over his six innings of work. However, he saw his shutout streak end at 18.2 consecutive innings when Concordia broke through for two runs off him in the second.
 
PLNU got one run back on a Brett O'Toole RBI-single in the third inning, before a two-run, RBI-double by John Balliet gave the Sea Lions a 3-2 lead in the third.
 
Concordia put together a threat in the fourth when they loaded the bases with one out, but Noll was able to coax a hard ground ball to third, and Otto Kemp scooped it up, tagged third base, and fired to first for the inning-ending double play.
 
Micah Pries would bring all the momentum into the Sea Lions dugout in the very first at-bat of the next innings as he homered to extend the lead to 4-2. CUI would get one more off Noll in the sixth before coach just James turned to the bullpen.
 
Steven Elliott got two outs in the seventh before loading the bases with two out. Coach James then summoned Nicholas Cornelius. He went the last 2.1 innings, setting all seven batters down in order to earn his first save of the season.
 
Micah Pries returned to the lineup and went 3-for-5 with a home run. Otto Kemp added two hits and a two-run homer in the eighth inning, which extended the Sea Lions' lead to 6-3. Justin Ledgerwood added an insurance run with a double in the ninth.
 
Game 2: Jair Donovan's three-run homer in the bottom of the eighth broke a 5-5 tie and helped Concordia win the game 8-5 to earn the doubleheader split.
 
PLNU built a 5-3 lead in the sixth inning after a two-out, RBI-single by Micah Pries scored Michael Palos. But they did not get the shutdown inning they needed in the bottom of the sixth as Concordia rallied for two runs with two outs.
 
Alex DiMascio cut the lead in half with a solo home run. Collin Villegas then drew a walk and promptly scored on a double by pinch hitter Nick Grimes to tie the game at 5-5.
 
Point Loma had a chance to retake the lead in the top of the seventh, but Colby Kaneshiro was thrown out at home as he tried to score from second base on a single by Michael Palos.
 
In the eighth inning, CUI was trying to play for just one run.  It got a leadoff single and sacrificed the runner to second with one out. After a PLNU error on a bunt put runners at first and third with one out, Donovan made them pay with a three-run homer. That was Point Loma's fifth error of the game.
 
Pries collected three RBI in the game to lead the Sea Lions. He went 3-for-5 with a home run. John Balliet and Brett O'Toole added two hits apiece as the top of PLNU's batting order went 7-for-12 with a triple, a home run, five RBI and three runs scored in the game.
 
Robert Ortiz III (1-1) took the loss after surrendering the leadoff hit in the eighth. Jack Ruegge (1-1) earned the win for CUI out of the bullpen, and Carpenter Pagett picked up his second save of the season.

Team Records
Point Loma (7-5, 0-0 PacWest), Concordia (3-5, 0-0 PacWest)
 
News and Notes
> PLNU had committed just 14 errors in its first 11 games before committing five errors in the 12th game
> Point Loma is 4-0 in Zack Noll's starts
> These teams will play their official PacWest Conference series on Mar. 22-23.
> With his two home runs today, Pries moved into a tie for the PacWest home run lead
 
Up Next
Point Loma and Concordia will conclude their non-conference series with a doubleheader at PLNU on Saturday, Feb. 23. First pitch is scheduled for 11 a.m.