SAN DIEGO—With a flair for the dramatic, Point Loma took the long way home to etch their spot in next week’s NCAA West Super Regional with a 10-9 extra inning win over CSU San Bernardino on Saturday afternoon at Carroll B. Land Stadium.

The Sea Lions will now play in the Super Regional for the third time in the last five years. They will host Northwest Nazarene next Friday-Saturday, May 22-23.

After falling to the Coyotes earlier today, 5-2, Point Loma went extra innings (10) for just the second time this season (the other time was also in this tournament). Playing as the visitor, PLNU used Tommy Molina’s RBI single to take the lead and Hank Smith worked the tenth on the mound for the win.

The Coyotes, big underdogs even going into their own CCAA tournament, saw their magical season come to a close at 29-27. Point Loma will ride into the Super Regional at 47-11.

POINT LOMA 10, CSU SAN BERNARDINO 9
Pinch-hitter Tyler Stull singled in the top of the tenth and pinch-hitter Tommy Molina later brought him home for the winning run in a wild 10-9 victory for the Sea Lions.

Hank Smith, who pitched the final 3.1 innings, worked around a hit batter and a sacrifice bunt in the bottom of the inning, inducing back-to-back flyouts to centerfield to end the game.

Prior to that extra inning, there was plenty of suspense the previous nine innings.

The two teams took turns trading leads and grabbing the momentum. Both teams had 15 hits in the game. There were five ties and six lead changes right up until the final out.

After a long day, the bench played a huge role for the Sea Lions. Pinch-hitter Levi Ham had an RBI double in the ninth to tie the game.

In the eighth, Jake Schwartz hit a two-run double to tie the contest. The heroes were many on a long and dramatic day at Carroll B. Land Stadium.

Tristan Moore ended up 4-for-4 in the game, and Mason Cook was on base four times (two singles, two HBP) and scored twice. 11 different players had hits for the Sea Lions.
 
 
CSU SAN BERNARDINO 5, POINT LOMA 2
Unlike the last slugfest, a 19-13 Point Loma win, this Saturday game began as a pitcher’s duel.

Point Loma’s Devin Norton and CSU San Bernardino’s Devyn Hernandez matched zeros for the first four innings in a 0-0 game.

But the Coyotes got on the board first in the fifth with a home run, an error and then two more home runs to take a 4-0 lead. To that point, Norton had allowed just three hits and of course, no runs.

Hernandez allowed a Mason Cook home run in the sixth to get the Sea Lions on the board, and Point Loma loaded the bases in the eighth after singles by Aidan Arriaga and Matt Ryan and a hit batter, with no outs. But a ground ball double play and a fly out kept the damage to just one run in a 5-2 game.

Point Loma put two runners on in the ninth but couldn’t bring them home. Overall, the Sea Lions had 12 hits but just the two runs. Matt Bernath had four of those hits.

Norton finished with seven innings of work, six hits, one earned run and he fanned eight in a losing cause. Hernandez went 8.1 innings and struck out six to get the win, forcing the rubber match game.