LA JOLLA, Calif. - The No. 3 seed Point Loma baseball team gave it everything they had at the NCAA West Regional #2. They came from behind to win Saturday's opener over No. 2 seed UC San Diego, 8-7, and force a winner-take-all final game. In the championship game, Point Loma rallied from a 3-0 deficit to take a 5-3 lead but could not hold off a late charge by the Tritons and fell 7-5.
 
Game 1: The Sea Lions rallied for four runs in the top of the seventh, tacked another on an insurance run, and then held off a UCSD rally in the bottom of the ninth to earn an 8-7 victory and force a winner-take-all championship game.
 
With one out and trailing 4-3 in the seventh, Travis Takata and Miguel Cazares reached base before Micah Pries singled through the left side to score Takata. Pries and Cazares would come in to score later in the inning on wild pitches, and Justin Ledgerwood singled in Colby Kaneshiro to complete the four-run inning.
 
Point Loma added an insurance run in the top of the ninth on an RBI-single by Takata to increase its lead to 8-5. It would need that extra run as UC San Diego rallied for two runs in the bottom of the inning, but Jerry Quemada was able to get pinch hitter Logan White to pop out to the shortstop with the bases loaded to end the threat and lock down the victory.
 
That completed the fourth critical inning Quemada (5-3) provided PLNU out of the bullpen to earn the win. He allowed two hits and two runs while walking four and striking out five. He came into the game in relief of starter Nathan Garkow who went the first five innings giving up five hits and five runs (three earned).
 
PLNU had the initial lead in the game after Takata homered on the first pitch. They added one more in the second on a two-out RBI-double by John Balliet to go up 2-0. The Tritons erased Point Loma's lead with a three-run second inning, and both teams traded runs in the fifth to set up the Sea Lions' comeback.
 
Takata finished the game 3-for-6 with a home run and two RBI. Michael Palos reached base in four of his five plate appearances, and Kaneshiro continued his impressive postseason play with another pair of hits, including a double.
 
Ted Stuka (5-4) was charged with the loss for UCSD. He went 2.1 innings and surrendered three hits, four runs, and four walks. He struck out four.
 
Game 2: UC San Diego scored four unanswered runs after the sixth inning to erase Point Loma's 5-3 lead and earn a 7-5 victory in the final game of the NCAA West Regional #2.
 
Sea Lions fought and grinded all weekend to get to this game. They had used all their starters in the first three games of the regional and were going with their bullpen for the final game.
 
The Tritons grabbed the early lead with a three-run first inning off Steven Elliott, but he limited the damage there and kept PLNU in the game. Point Loma rallied with one run on the third on a two-out RBI by Micah Pries and then took the lead with a four-run fifth inning. The Sea Lions had three doubles and a single in the inning and went on top 5-3 on a throwing error by the Tritons' second baseman, which allowed two runners to score with two outs.
 
Nicholas Cornelius was able to get through the next inning allowing just one run to complete his three innings of work and preserve the Sea Lions' lead at 5-4.
 
In the seventh, the Tritons rallied for three runs to retake the lead. Shay Whitcomb led off the inning, with a solo home run to center field to tie the game. The next three batters would reach to load the bases. Coach James then turned to Connor Barrett with no outs and the bases loaded. The senior right-hander struck out the first batter and then got a chopper to third base that looked like it had a chance to be an inning-ending double play, but the Sea Lions could not field it cleanly and the go-ahead run scored. UCSD would add one more on a bases-loaded walk.
 
With the lead in hand, the Tritons' leaned on their bullpen. Luke Mattson set down six of the next seven Sea Lions before handing the ball over to Kyle Lucke in the ninth. Lucke tossed a perfect inning, striking out two, to earn his ninth save of the season. Ortiz (2-4) took the loss for Point Loma, and Mattson (3-2) earned the win for UCSD.
 
Travis Takata finished the game 4-for-5 with a double and a run scored. Pries, Palos, and Dunlap all posted multi-hit games as PLNU outhit UCSD in the game 12-9.
 
Team records
#3 Point Loma (32-21), #2 UC San Diego (38-13)
 
Playoff implications
UC San Diego will advance to the NCAA West Super Regional against Azusa Pacific on May 24-25 in Azusa, Calif. The winner of the best-of-three series will move on to the College World Series in Cary, N.C.
 
Press conference with coach James
Postgame press conference with head caoch Justin James
 
News & notes
> The two wins are the most for Point Loma in a single postseason since joining the NCAA
> Connor Barrett pitched in all three games of the series
> Micah Pries posted his 200th career hit in the second game and now has 201 in his career
> This was the second time all season PLNU won a game in which it committed two or more errors and gave up four or more runs (Fresno Pacific 7-6)
> Travis Takata went 10-for-19 at the regional and has now had a hit in all seven regional games over the past two years
> Colby Kaneshiro saw his six-game postseason hitting streak snapped in the final game
> This was the third NCAA West Regional appearance for PLNU in the past five years (2015, 2018 & 2019)
 
Next game
This completes the 2019 season for the Point Loma baseball team.