CARY, N.C.—Point Loma busted open a tie game with a five-run eighth inning on their way to a 11-5 NCAA Opening Round game win over Catawba on Saturday afternoon at the USA National Training Complex.

The Sea Lions advance to the Bracket 2 winner’s game to face the winner of tonight’s contest between defending champion Tampa and Bentley, Monday at 3 pm PT.

Tied at 5-5 through seven, Point Loma used a three-run homer by Hank Smith and a solo shot by Mason Cook to pull away from the Indians. Earlier in the inning, Josiah Rodriguez laced an RBI-single to chase the Catawba pitcher, who was promptly greeted by back-to-back shots from Smith and Cook.

Point Loma, the #6 seed, would add one more run in the top of the ninth to make it 11-5. Smith, who took the mound in the eighth, would finish with two solid innings of hitless relief to secure the win.

The victory was No. 50 on the year for the Sea Lions (50-11). The #3 seeded Indians are now 47-13-1 and play an elimination game on Monday against the loser of the Tampa-Bentley contest.

From the beginning, the game was a back-and-forth encounter. Catawba (North Carolina) scored first after loading the bases with no outs. PLNU starting pitcher Derek Silva was able to limit the damage with just two runs, and his team matched those two runs with two in the top of second via RBI singles from Jake Schwartz and Owen May.

Point Loma then surged ahead in the fourth on RBI base knocks from Schwartz and Matt Bernath. PLNU made it 5-2 in the fifth when Rodriguez singled and then came around to score after two walks and a hit batter.

The Indians came back with two in the fifth and another run in the seventh to tie it at 5-5, setting the stage for Point Loma’s big answer in the top of eighth. Five runs on four hits, helped by a hit batter and a walk gave the Sea Lions the 10-5 lead, and they added one more run on Bernath’s RBI-single in the ninth.

Point Loma had 14 hits in the game, including two each by six different players—Bernath, Rodriguez, Cook, Jack Ryan, Schwartz and Aiden Arriaga. Four different players had at least two RBI—Bernath, Schwartz, Smith (3) and May.

Vaughn Neckar got the win (10-2) with a no-hit seventh inning, and Smith closed out with two innings without a hit, two walks and three strikeouts.

Today's game was the first-ever match-up between the Sea Lions and Indians, and matched the teams traveling the furthest (Point Loma) and the closest (Catawba, 119 miles).