SEASIDE, Calif. - Casey Dunlap proved to be an important offensive spark for Point Loma in his first start of the season. The senior infielder fueled both run-scoring innings with leadoff hits to help lead the Sea Lions to a 7-5 victory over No. 21 Cal State Monterey Bay. (Feb. 8)
 
Dunlap opened the second inning with a single and a stolen base, and the Sea Lions would go on to put up four runs in the inning. Ledgerwood capped off the scoring with a two-run, double down the right-field line.
 
PLNU put the pressure right back on the Otters in the third inning. Dunlap and Michael Palos opened the inning with singles and were promptly sacrificed to second and third. After Balliet drew a walk to load the bases, Brett O'Toole was hit by a pitch to bring in the first run of the inning. CSUSM followed that with a wild pitch to score another run before Micah Pries brought in Balliet with an RBI-groundout. That rally staked the Sea Lions and starter Jerry Quemada to a 7-1 lead.
 
Quemada (1-0) went six innings allowing five hits and two runs while striking out three and walking three to earn his first victory in a Sea Lion uniform. Steven Elliott earned his first career save after getting the final two outs of the game.
 
Dunlap was not the lone offensive catalyst for PLNU. Brett O'Toole enjoyed his move into the No. 2 spot in the order by going 4-for-4 and reaching base in all five plate appearances. Colby Kaneshiro also had two hits for PLNU.
 
Ethan McRae (0-1) took the loss for Cal State Monterey Bay. He gave up seven hits, four run, and two walks in just 2.0 innings.

Team Records
Point Loma (4-1, 0-0 PacWest), #21 Cal State Monterey Bay (1-3, 0-0 CCAA)
 
Turning Point
The four-run second inning gave PLNU the lead, but it was the three-run third inning which ultimately brought home the victory. Point Loma was able to take advantage of a bases-loaded, one-out situation to score three runs without the benefit of a hit. The eventual game-winning run was scored on the wild pitch.
 
Words from coach James
On the capitalizing on opportunities, especially in the third inning: "Our approach was really good. We laid off some pitches just outside the zone against some really good pitchers. Our guys battled hard with two strikes, and that set us up to compound some of the mistakes they were making on the mound."
 
On Brett O'Toole: "Brett has been a really special player for us this season. He was phenomenal with two strikes hits today. He had a couple of those."
 
On Casey Dunlap: "Casey found out he was starting right before game time. He has been waiting for his turn. He came right in and delivered huge for us in his first two at-bats. He did a great job and played a good third base as well."
 
On Jerry Quemada: "Jerry was excellent today. He stayed on the attack against a good offense. He threw a ton of strikes and was attacking early, which helped protect his pitch count."
 
On what PLNU can learn in the win: "What we talked about after the game was that against good teams we have to continue to extend the lead, no matter how big the lead. We had seven runs on the board but we were unable to cash in some opportunities late which would help talk some of the pressure off our bullpen."
 
On what he (coach James) has learned on the road trip: "This is teaching me that the guys on our team really like playing for each other. They support each other whether they are in the lineup or not. I've also learned about the arms in our bullpen. This is a tough place to play, but our guys like to compete. We aren't backing down from the challenge."
 
News and Notes
> PLNU's 4-1 start is its best since the 2011 season
> Two Sea Lions have already posted 4-for-4 performances this season
> Quemada's six innings of work matched Noll for the Sea Lions' longest start of the season
> Point Loma has used at least four pitchers in each game this season
> With his first-inning single, Pries has now reached base safely in 27 straight games
> With their three straight wins against the Otters, PLNU is now 4-8 all-time vs. Cal State Monterey Bay
 
Up Next
The Sea Lions and Otters will close out their series with a doubleheader on Saturday, Feb. 9 starting at 11 a.m.