Point Loma Nazarene poised to advance in NCAA regionals after beating Cal Poly Pomona

Point Loma Nazarene waited until the late innings before its offense got going in Thursday’s NCAA Division II regionals opener. PLNU didn’t dawdle in Friday’s game against Cal Poly Pomona.

The Sea Lions had the lead before making an out and never looked back in an 8-3 win at PLNU’s Carroll B. Land Stadium.

“This was a pivotal game right here,” PLNU coach Justin James said. “We know what Pomona’s known for. They don’t give up.”

The Sea Lions didn’t give Pomona a chance to get back in the game, using a three-run first inning as a springboard to the victory that put them one win away from advancing to the Super Regionals.

PLNU (42-10-1) can clinch the West Regional #1 championship with a win Saturday against Cal Poly Pomona (32-23). First pitch is scheduled for 11 a.m.

If the Broncos win, then the teams stay on the field for a winner-take-all game.

If PLNU advances, then the Sea Lions would host next week’s best-of-three Super Regionals as the West Region’s No. 1 seed. The opponent will be either Cal State Monterey Bay or San Francisco State, the teams competing for the West Regional #2 title.

Point Loma Nazarene’s Eric Smelko circles the bases on his three-run homer in the sixth inning.

(Micah Cunningham / PLNU Athletics)

Against Pomona, PLNU outfielder Eric Smelko singled to start the game (the Sea Lions were the visiting team, even though they were at home).

Teammate Esai Santos followed with a walk. Then came back-to-back singles by Scott Anderson and Jake Entrekin, who drove in Smelko with the game’s first run.

A fly out and an error made it 3-0 before the Broncos batted.

“It’s tough on the road at their home ballpark when you are behind because they’re a very good team,” Cal Poly Pomona coach Randy Betten said. “So you’ve got to give them credit. When they get a three-run advantage, it is tough.”

PLNU had a 4-1 lead midway through the game. They made it 8-1 in a four-run sixth inning. Smelko capped the scoring with his 10th home run of the season, a three-run blast that all but decided the outcome.

“We know Pomona lives down in the zone,” said Smelko. “So we wanted to really see pitches up (and go after them), which I thought we did a really good job of today.”

PLNU starting pitcher Austyn Coleman (9-1) allowed two runs on three hits over six innings before turning the ball over to teammate Christian Williams, whose three innings were of work were marred only by a run in the ninth.