May 22, 2010

Box Score

MALIBU, Calif. - Left fielder Mike Ferraro's fourth-inning grand slam lifted San Diego to a 6-3 win over Pepperdine Saturday afternoon at Eddy D. Field Stadium. The series between the Waves (21-28, 9-8 WCC) and Toreros (32-18, 16-1 WCC) is now tied at 1-1 heading into Sunday's 1 p.m. rubber game.

Ferraro drilled the first pitch he saw from redshirt sophomore starter Cole Cook (Los Angeles, Calif./Palisades Charter HS) off the scoreboard in right field to give USD its first and only lead of the game. It was Ferraro's second round-tripper of the year and only the second Cook has allowed this season through 96.1 innings pitched.

Cook allowed one more run that frame as Chris Engell, who finished the game 3-for-4 with two RBI, drove home Kevin Muno from second base to give USD a 6-2 lead.

The Waves looked to even the score when they loaded the bases in the sixth for slugging sophomore catcher Nate Johnson (Camarillo, Calif./Camarillo HS) but his deep fly to right field got caught up in the breeze at the warning track and produced just one run.

Pepperdine would only put three more runners on base the rest of the way as USD starter Sammy Solis improved to 9-1 behind 6.0 innings of work and Matt Thompson picked up his fifth save.

Despite pitching his fifth complete game of the year and delivering his 10th quality start in 12 opportunities, Cook's record dropped to 4-6 on the season. Of the six runs he allowed, only three were earned; he also walked three and struck out four batters.

Pepperdine jumped out to a 2-0 lead with single runs in the first and second. Senior Ryan Heroy (Henderson, Nev./Green Valley HS) drove in classmate Colin Rooney (Yorba Linda, Calif./Esperanza HS) from third with a two-out RBI single, and in the second Johnson scored an unearned run on freshman Zachary Vincej's (Saugus, Calif./Saugus HS) base hit to right center.

The Toreros cut their deficit in half with an unearned run of their own in the third. Muno led off with a bunt single and scurried to second when Heroy's toss sailed over the head of second baseman Joe Sever (San Jose, Calif./Bellarmine College Preparatory). A ground ball off the bat of Engell allowed him to score two plays later.

USD expected one more ball to leave the yard in the eighth, but sophomore center fielder Brian Humphries (El Cajon, Calif./Granite Hills HS) made a tremendous leaping grab over the wall in left-center to rob Zach Walters' of his fourth home run.

San Diego 6, Pepperdine 3 (May 22, 2010 at Malibu, Calif.)----------------------------------------------------------------------San Diego........... 001 500 000  -  6  8  1      (32-18, 16-1 WCC)Pepperdine.......... 110 001 000  -  3  7  2      (21-28, 9-8 WCC)----------------------------------------------------------------------Pitchers: San Diego - SOLIS, Sammy; THOMPSON, Matt(7) and MCCOY, Nick. Pepperdine - Cook, Coleand Johnson, Nate.Win-SOLIS, Sammy(9-1)  Save-THOMPSON, Matt(5)  Loss-COOK, Cole(4-6)  T-2:20  A-464HR USD - FERRARO, Mike (2).Weather: 66, Sunny