SAN DIEGO -- From start to finish, Point Loma was the top team in the NCAA West Region in the 2022 season.

The Sea Lions won the NCAA West Regional Championship Series in three games against Azusa Pacific, winning the decisive final 5-2 to lift the trophy and earn the first trip to the national championships for a PacWest team since 2013.

Point Loma opened the year on a 10-game winning streak and earned the No. 1 ranking in the NCBWA West Region rankings, and the Sea Lions had a target on them for the rest of the year. Point Loma handled all challengers throughout the season to win the West Region with a record of 48-8, winning 10 of the last 11 games.

Azusa Pacific led 2-0 going into the bottom of the fourth inning when Hunter Otjen and Jakob Christian blasted back-to-back home runs to tie the game, 2-2. From that point on, Dylan Miller and Zachary Veen didn't allow a run for the rest of the game, putting five-consecutive zeroes on the board.

In the fifth inning, Christian stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and two outs. He took the first pitch off his knee, which would have scored the go-ahead run, but instead he was called back to home plate with the pitch being called a strike. He made the most of the second opportunity, hitting a grounder past the shortstop to drive in two runs and take the first lead of the must-win game.

The Sea Lions added an insurance run in the seventh inning on a solo home run by Scott Anderson to take a 5-2 lead. Point Loma was just seven outs away from victory when Veen took over for Miller. Veen had pitched the day before and was warming up in the bullpen during Game 2 of the series but never entered the game.

He then retired all seven batters that he faced, getting a called strikeout in the eighth inning. In the ninth inning, the top of the Cougars' lineup came up with two outs, but Veen induced a groundout. When Christian caught the throw at first base, the Sea Lions punched their ticket to Cary, N.C. winning the regional crown as well.