(CARY, N.C.) Starting pitcher
Ray Cebulski pitched masterfully for No. 4 PLNU Baseball in an NCAA Division II World Series elimination game but IUP came away with a 1-0 victory to end Point Loma's magical postseason run.
The Crimson Hawks scored one run in the first inning on a softly hit liner with two outs before Cebulski (7 IP, 9 K) and
James Sashin (2 IP, 3 K) held them scoreless the rest of the way.
However, IUP limited PLNU to just three hits and four baserunners in the game, pitching a perfect game through 4.1 innings.
Bryson Hashimoto broke up the perfect game in the fifth inning with a single to right and then stole second but was stranded there.
The Sea Lions got another runner in scoring position the following inning after
Joey Nicolai singled and tagged up on a deep flyout.
However, he advanced no further as PLNU did not have a base runner go past second base in the game.
PLNU hit a few long flyouts that would have left the yard in another ballpark, but the spacious USA Baseball National Training Complex field kept them in play.
The Sea Lions threatened again in the eighth after
Jack Malone's walk. The center fielder would have advanced to at least third on a hard-hit liner from Nicolai, but it was snagged by a diving second baseman to end the inning.
Then with two outs in the ninth,
Scott Anderson worked a full count and singled to left to keep PLNU's hopes alive before IUP closed the door with a game-ending groundout.
Point Loma finishes a historic season with a 46-13-1 overall, having won a third-straight PacWest regular season championship and a first PacWest Tournament title.
The Sea Lions then went on in the postseason to win the West Region crown for a second time in three years before making a second-ever trip to the NCAA Division II World Series.
POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE
