(FRESNO, Calif.) Top-seeded PLNU Baseball was able to overturn an early deficit in its opening game of the PacWest Tournament on Wednesday but was unable to repeat the feat on Thursday afternoon against second-seeded Azusa Pacific.
 
An early 5-0 APU proved too much for the Sea Lions to overcome, as the Cougars booked their spot in the championship round with a 9-6 victory and put Point Loma one loss away from elimination in the tournament.
 
A pair of two-out homers by APU in the early going, a three-run shot in the first and a two-run opposite field long ball in the second, gave the No. 2 seed a five-run lead.
 
But the Sea Lions began to chip away at the Cougars' advantage, with Jakob Christian's two-RBI double to left in the top of the third getting a pair back.
 

Jakob Christian's 2-RBI double gets a pair back for @PLNUBaseball, who trail APU 5-2 in the 3rd. pic.twitter.com/C4HBOwNp10

— PLNU Sea Lions (@PLNUSeaLions) May 11, 2023

 
Scott Anderson's RBI-single through the left side in the fourth then cut APU's lead to two.
 

Scott Anderson's RBI-single gets another back for the Sea Lions. APU's lead reduced to 5-3 through 4 innings.

🎥 @fpusunbirds pic.twitter.com/0tzj68Y4Iu

— PLNU Sea Lions (@PLNUSeaLions) May 11, 2023

 
PLNU could have inflicted further damage but APU managed to get out of bases loaded jams in both the third and the fourth, before stranding Sea Lion runners on first and second in the fifth.
 
The Cougars then added one run in the fifth and three more in the eighth, which proved to be valuable as the Sea Lions scored three in the top of the ninth and brought the tying run to the plate in the inning.
 
Point Loma loaded the bases with nobody out to bring up David Garcia, who walked to score one.
 
Jack Malone then knocked in another on a fielder's choice to plate PLNU's second run of the inning.
 
Sea Lion hitters worked five-straight full counts, as Hunter Otjen walked to load the bases again and bring the tying run up to the plate in Tommy Burleson.
 
Burleson's slow-rolling groundout to third scored one more, but PLNU was unable to muster a two-out rally, ending its nine-game winning streak.
 

⚾️ @PLNUBaseball FINAL

#1 Point Loma - 6
#2 Azusa Pacific - 9

J. Christian | 2-3, R, 2B, 2 BB, 2 RBI
S. Anderson | 1-4, R, BB, RBI
H. Otjen | 2-4, R, BB
T. Burleson | 1-4, R, 2B, BB, RBI

Point Loma now plays Fresno Pacific at 7 p.m. in an elimination game. pic.twitter.com/KCFtowdYA7

— PLNU Sea Lions (@PLNUSeaLions) May 12, 2023

 
Point Loma (35-13 overall) now plays Fresno Pacific at 7 p.m. in an elimination game, with the winner advancing to Friday's championship round against APU at noon.
 
The winner of Thursday night's game will then have to beat the Cougars twice on Friday to win the first-ever PacWest Tournament.