LA MIRADA, Calif.-The offense that gained national attention over the first few weeks of the season erupted with a pair of incredible showcases as the Point Loma Sea Lions (31-5 overall, 13-5 PacWest) swept a conference doubleheader from the Biola Eagles (14-20 overall, 10-8 PacWest) Friday at The Eagles Diamond.
All 9 starters tallied at least one hit and the Sea Lions matched their season-high hit total with 19 knocks while cruising to their 5
th win of the season over Biola, winning 13-3. PLNU matched the hit total in just five innings while crushing Biola pitching with a season-high 5 homers in a 26-6 thumping.
Jason Dumont led the charge with a four-hit game, tripling his season-long hit total and sparking the scoring from the beginning.
Dumont's infield single with the bases loaded plated the first run of the game for Point Loma in the top of the 2
nd inning.
After
Izayah Alvarez walked to force in the second run of the inning,
Otto Kemp's sacrifice fly to center capped Point Loma's 3-run inning.
Biola retrieved one of those runs in the bottom of the third on Oscar Serratos' RBI single down the right-field line.
Point Loma widened the lead in the 5
th as
Easton Waterman's double to left-center plated
Jakob Christian and
Scott Anderson to make it a 5-1 score.
Kemp's 2
nd sacrifice fly in the top of the 6
th pushed it to 6-1 before Biola strung together some offense in the bottom of the inning. The Eagles received a solo homer backed up by three consecutive singles to pull the game back to a 3-run difference at 6-3 PLNU.
The rally also brought Point Loma starter
Baxter Halligan's day on the mound to an end as Zach Veen entered to stymie Biola.
Dumont and Kemp picked up on their run-producing ways in the 7
th. Dumont laced a line drive into left-center that scored two and Kemp later singled him in to make it 10-3 in favor of Point Loma.
Point Loma added three more runs in the top of the 9
th, including RBI hits from
Scott Anderson and
Jakob Christian.
The offensive vibes turned powerful in game two for Point Loma as they once again jumped out in front thanks to a crooked number in the second inning.
With the bags full, Alvarez ripped his third homer of the year, a grand slam, over the fence in left-center, staking PLNU to a 4-0 lead.
The lead grew in the 3
rd inning as
Hunter Otjen blasted a solo homer and
Baxter Halligan belted a two-run homer, pushing Point Loma's lead to 7-0.
Point Loma did further damage in the inning by loading the bases in front of Kemp, who drew a walk to force in another run, and then a ground ball up the middle trickled through for two more runs, stretching the lead to 10-0.
Otjen then completed a rare feat for Point Loma on multiple levels. With runners on the corners and still just one out in the third, Otjen ripped a three-run homer over the left-field fence for his second homer of the inning.
Not only was it the 2
nd homer of the inning for Otjen, but it completed the home run cycle for Point Loma without even completing the third inning.
Point Loma continued to pour on three more unearned runs in the inning with
Jack Malone and Alvarez tacking on RBI hits to complete a 12-run third inning.
Biola put up some fight in the bottom of the inning with back-to-back home runs and a bases-loaded double combining for a five-run inning.
The Sea Lion's offense was just too much on Friday, however, and the fourth inning saw Point Loma stream nine more runs across the plate with a sac fly from Waterman starting the scoring. Malone added an RBI double and Dumont doubled home two more runs before an RBI knock from
Scott Anderson.
Christian capped off the inning with the 2
nd grand slam of the day, his third grand slam of the season.
Each team added a run in the fifth before the game was called for darkness, still concluding after completing the necessary five innings.
The Sea Lions matched their season-high hit total of 19 in both games of the doubleheader while simultaneously setting the school record for runs in the NCAA era. (The program record is 33 runs set in 1955).
Point Loma will look to bring that offensive firepower back to San Diego and they will finally be back at home on Saturday, returning to Carroll B. Land to complete the season series with the Biola Eagles with a doubleheader beginning at noon. The first game is scheduled for 9-innings and the 2
nd game is slated for 7-innings.Â
Tickets can be purchased on plnusealions.com.
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