SAN DIEGO-It took two games that were the polar opposite of each other, but the Point Loma Sea Lions (33-5 overall, 15-5 PacWest) swept the Biola Eagles (14-22 overall, 10-10 PacWest) 18-1 and 1-0 (7 innings) in a PacWest doubleheader Saturday afternoon at Carroll B. Land Stadium.
While the offense continued to flex its muscles with its second straight 5-home run ballgame to start the day, the stingy southpaws on the mound showcased their dominance in game two's walk-off victory.
Point Loma's power surge picked up where it left off in the bottom of the 2
nd inning as
Baxter Halligan belted a majestic blast over the window in the right-center field.
Jack Malone made it back-to-back home runs with a rocket at the top of the protective netting in the right field.
The Sea Lions continued the big inning by putting runners on 2
nd and 3
rd in front of
Scott Anderson's two-run single through the right side. Two batters later,
Jakob Christian's towering blast, a three-run homer, completed the 8-run inning for the Sea Lions.
Point Loma added single runs in the third and fifth, courtesy of
Otto Kemp. Kemp reached on a fielder's choice in the third, plating one run, and then tagged an RBI double to right-center pushing the advantage to 10-0.
It was more of the Kemp show in the sixth after Point Loma added a run in the inning and loaded the bases in front of the third basemen. Kemp roped the first pitch he saw beyond the right-center field wall for a six RBI day.
The Sea Lions weren't done with the long ball as
James Halpin launched a moonshot beyond the scoreboard in the right-center to push the game to 16-0.
Point Loma tacked on two more runs in the 8
th on
Adam Axtell's bases-loaded double. Biola grabbed a 9
th inning run to bring the final score to 18-1.
Game 2 took a drastic turn from the rest of the series as Point Loma's
Jack Gonzales matched zeroes with Biola's Gilbert Lopez.
The game remained scoreless into the fourth when Biola turned to Connor Butler to get out of a jam.
Butler accomplished the goal and the game stayed scoreless into the bottom of the fifth when Butler issued three walks to load the bases with two outs.
But Butler escaped the jam on a groundout to first.
Zach Veen matched the zeroes, striking out the side in the 7
th. The 3 K's give Veen 50 on the season without issuing a single walk.
That set the stage for a walk-off in the series finale. After all of the offense that Point Loma poured out over the first three games, the Sea Lions sealed the series and season sweeps without the use of a hit.
Three walks, drawn on tough at-bats, loaded the bases for
Easton Waterman. The catcher grounded the ball towards short but hurried down the line to force a quick throw. The hustle paid off as the Biola throw skipped past the first basemen, bringing in the game-winning run to secure the 1-0 victory.
Point Loma outscored Biola 58-10 in the four-game conference series for a monstrous 88-19 run differential in the 8 games against the Eagles this season.
Point Loma will have their final four-game home series next weekend when they welcome in the Vulcans from Hawai'i Hilo Friday and Saturday at Carroll B. Land Stadium. Their final home games will be proceeded by Senior Day on Thursday, April 28
th.
A complete schedule, as well as news and ticket information, can be found on plnusealions.com.
Â