(SAN DIEGO) No. 4 PLNU Baseball swept Concordia on Thursday in a PacWest doubleheader, winning 12-7 and 3-2 in Carroll B. Land Stadium before the series shifts to Irvine on Friday.
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The Sea Lions wasted no time in the bottom of the first of game one, as
Bryson Hashimoto and
Jake Entrekin produced run-scoring hits before
Hunter Otjen's solo shot capped off a four-run first inning for Point Loma.
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The two teams then traded runs in the second before CUI scored four runs with two outs in the top of the third to tie the game.
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But PLNU answered right back with a five-spot in the bottom half, with
Joey Nicolai scoring two with a base hit and
Eric Smelko hitting a three-run homer to left center.
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After the visitors scored twice in the top of the eighth to get to within three, Hashimoto's double and
Jack Malone's hit by pitch put Point Loma ahead by five, its final margin of victory.
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Dylan Miller earned his PacWest-leading fifth win of the season, pitching seven innings while setting a new career-high for pitches in a start. The right-hander struck out eight and finished his outing with four scoreless innings.
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Then in game two, Smelko answered a CUI solo homer with one of his own, as his second long ball of the day tied it up at 1-1 in the third.
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Tommy Molina then gave PLNU a 2-1 lead with an RBI-single in the fourth, only for the visitors to respond with a run in the top of the fifth.
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However, the game didn't remain tied for long, as
Scott Anderson belted a homer to right center to score what proved to be the winning run.
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Ray Cebulski earned the win on the mound, pitching five innings while allowing two runs.
James Sashin extended his PacWest lead for saves with his eighth of the year, recording the last six outs to seal the victory.
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Point Loma (17-6-1 overall, 9-4-1 PacWest) and Concordia (8-8, 4-6) will square off again on Friday in Irvine, with the first game of the doubleheader scheduled to begin at 2 p.m.