FRESNO, Calif.-The exclamation point at the end of a record-breaking season, the Point Loma Sea Lions (43-7 overall, 25-7 PacWest) entered their final regular-season doubleheader with their fate firmly in their hands and they more than took care of business by completing a four-game sweep of the Fresno Pacific Sunbirds (27-23 overall, 16-16 PacWest) with wins of 14-7 and 14-9 Wednesday night at the FPU Diamond.

While setting a bunch of conference and school records along the way, the Sea Lions finished one of the best regular seasons in school history by capturing the PacWest crown. The pair of double-digit offensive outbursts bookended the start to the storybook season in which the Sea Lions came out of the gates punching.

"I'm just happy for our guys." Point Loma Head Coach Justin James said after the sweep. "I couldn't be happier watching them play with so much joy, every day. It's fun to sit back and, basically just watch. It's a testament to the kind of people they are and that is better than the other accomplishments. But it goes hand in hand, so this is pretty special."

And just like the entire year, they never quit fighting.

Baxter Halligan started the top of the 2^nd with a single and moved into scoring position after a wild pitch and a groundout. Jack Malone's sacrifice fly brought home the game's first run to put PLNU on top 1-0.

Scott Anderson and Jakob Christian both singled in the third to set up Hunter Otjen's sacrifice fly as Point Loma doubled the lead to 2-0.

After FPU tied the game in the bottom of the third, Anderson regained the lead for Point Loma with a solo homer in the top of the fifth for a 3-2 advantage.

Point Loma opened up some breathing room in the sixth as Otto Kemp delivered a bases-loaded single that scored two and a wild pitch brought home Izayah Alvarez for the third run of the inning and a 6-2 lead.

Outside of the third inning, FPU had next to little operating room offensively against PLNU starter Nathan Garkow.  The Senior was fantastic in his final regular-season start as a Sea Lion tossing 6.2 innings punctuated by a season-high 11 strikeouts and scattering just three hits and two walks to stand in line for the win. Garkow entered double-digit strikeouts for the first time this season and the third time in his career.

Point Loma poured it on the seventh, adding four runs on a trio of RBI hits. With two on, Easton Waterman's double in left-center field scored one and a throwing error brought home another runner on the same play.
Waterman would score on the next at-bat as Malone doubled down the left-field line. Two batters later, Alvarez brought home Malone with a single into right field and Point Loma built a 10-2 lead.

After Garkow made it two-thirds of the way through the seventh, Connor Hill entered from the bullpen to stop the Sunbirds in the inning and then backed it up with a three-up, three-down eighth to keep the eight-run advantage for Point Loma.

Point Loma's offense tacked on four more runs in the ninth thanks to some walks and wild pitches, which eventually set up another two-run double from Jakob Christian to complete the frame and extend the lead to 14-4.

PLNU was a little wild themselves, as five walks in the ninth as well as a couple of hits, translated to a five-run ninth inning for the Sunbirds before the Sea Lions closed the door at 14-7.

The win, coupled with APU's loss to Biola, assured Point Loma at least a share of the PacWest crown with the opportunity to win outright by completing the sweep of Fresno Pacific in the fourth and final game of the series.

Point Loma made sure to jump out in front from the start, as Hunter Otjen started the inning with a single. He immediately came around on Halligan's opposite-field double. With two runners on, Malone's infield single added the second run and then Alvarez drove in two more. After a walk to Kemp, Anderson's two-run double was followed up by Otjen, who belted a two-run homer to complete an eight-run inning.

That was plenty of support for Jack Gonzales, who struck out six in the first three innings, despite FPU scratching across a run in the bottom of the third.

Point Loma scored another run in the fourth on a pair of FPU errors to extend the lead to 9-1.

However, FPU had more fight in them just like they showed Tuesday night. The Sunbirds put together a pair of four-run innings in the fourth and the fifth.

PLNU stuck two runs in between those frames, with Otjen's two-run double extending the lead to six at the time before FPU cut it down to an 11-9 game.

The Sea Lions turned to their closer to stop the rally. Hillier, who picked up his league-leading 12^th save of the year Tuesday night, returned to the mound for a five-out save, allowing just two baserunners on a hit batter and a walk, before slamming the door shut with a pair of strikeouts.

Hillier's league-leading 13^th save ties both the PacWest record and the Point Loma record set by Coleman Huntley III in 2015.

Hillier has punctuated nearly a third of the Sea Lions' record-setting win totals with dramatic emphasis, posting a strikeout ratio that is more than 2-to-1.

Point Loma's 43 wins are the most of the NCAA DII era for the program and the most since the program won 47 games in 2003. The 43^rd win also ties the PacWest mark for wins in a season set by California Baptist in 2012 and duplicated by the Lancers 2014 squad.

The formula was a combination of the PacWest's best pitching staff, offense, and defense. Point Loma's pitching staff leads the conference in ERA, finishing with a 2.98, the 4^th best mark in the history of the conference.

The offense is also top in the conference, finishing with a .308 batting average. While the defense entered the weekend as the best in the entire country.

"It's all of the above," James said of the team's catalyst to success. "They all feed off of each other. I've always believed that it starts on the mound and everything else falls into place. You pound the zone and that relaxes the defense which powers the offense. These guys are tough. We have a perfect storm."
 
The sweep, coupled with APU's losses to Biola on Wednesday, clinched the first PacWest title in Point Loma Baseball history. It also assures a return to the postseason for the Sea Lions, making their 4^th trip to an NCAA Regional and third in the past five seasons.

"I'm happy for everyone who has ever played at Point Loma," James said. " So many friends, alumni, and supporters have reached out the past few years and they love to see that we're in a good spot. The support here is amazing. Everyone is so excited."

"A conference championship is a big deal. It means you were good from day one and these guys were good all year."

Point Loma will await to find out if they remain the #1 seed in the Region, with the possibility of hosting the first round at Carroll B. Land Stadium. The NCAA DII selection show is Sunday at 7:00 pm (PT).