(SAN DIEGO) No. 4 PLNU Baseball wasted no time in getting its offense going on Saturday, scoring eight runs in the first inning of game one to lead the Sea Lions to another doubleheader sweep of Northwest Nazarene.
 
Point Loma won both games, by scores of 12-1 and 7-4, to improve to 4-0 on the season.
 
Hunter Otjen and Jakob Christian hit back-to-back homers in the bottom of the first inning of game one to put the Sea Lions in front after the Nighthawks took a 1-0 lead in the top half.
 

BACK 2 BACK

Hunter Otjen and Jakob Christian go yard in the first inning to give @PLNUBaseball an early lead over NNU. pic.twitter.com/Q8tRgGPBCl

— PLNU Sea Lions (@PLNUSeaLions) February 4, 2023

 
Jack Malone then knocked in two runs with a double before David Garcia's sacrifice fly scored one.
 
PLNU batted around the order, with leadoff man Scott Anderson smashing a two-run home run to center in his second at-bat of the inning.
 

Scott Anderson's 2-run blast capped off an 8️⃣ run first inning in which the Sea Lions batted around the order.@PLNUBaseball leads NNU 8-1 in the bottom of the second inning. pic.twitter.com/1zaKG74MLX

— PLNU Sea Lions (@PLNUSeaLions) February 4, 2023

 
Joey Nicolai's double an inning later scored another before Garcia's first hit as a Sea Lion came in the fourth via a solo blast to left.
 

David Garcia's HR gives @PLNUBaseball double-digit runs for the game.

Sea Lions lead, 10-1. pic.twitter.com/WqYA9aewLJ

— PLNU Sea Lions (@PLNUSeaLions) February 4, 2023

 
Point Loma scored on an error in the sixth before Anderson's RBI-single in the eighth rounded out PLNU's scoring in the game.
 
That offense was more than enough for the Sea Lion pitching staff, which conceded a single run in the first before shutting out the Nighthawks the rest of the way.
 
Troy Wentworth earned the win, striking out seven batters in 3.1 shutout innings in relief of starter Cole Colleran (3.2 IP, 1 ER, 4 K).
 
NNU then struck first in the second game also, this time in the top of the third, before Otjen led off the bottom half with his second home run of the day.
 

Hunter Otjen homers for the second time today to bring @PLNUBaseball level with Northwest Nazarene in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader. pic.twitter.com/0kkZW0tCW3

— PLNU Sea Lions (@PLNUSeaLions) February 4, 2023

 
PLNU then played small ball, with Nicolai's sacrifice bunt scoring Christian, before Malone plated Bryson Hashimoto with a single to put the Sea Lions up 3-1.
 
The visitors got one back in the fourth, only for the hosts to score two in the bottom of the inning on a fielder's choice and Christian's sacrifice fly.
 
A two-run homer from the Nighthawks in the fifth then made it a one-run game, until Anderson homered again in the bottom of the sixth and Malone was a hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.
 

Anderson goes oppo to pad the lead for @PLNUBaseball.

Sea Lions now up 6-4 in the bottom of the sixth. pic.twitter.com/4KnxxBeVgA

— PLNU Sea Lions (@PLNUSeaLions) February 5, 2023

 
Cole Hillier, a NCBWA Preseason All-American, pitched the final two innings in shutout fashion to earn his second save of the year.
 
Point Loma and Northwest Nazarene will square off again on Monday at 2 p.m. in the final game of the series.