May 22, 2011
Box Score
Pepperdine and Gonzaga Box Score (May 22, 2011) 
MALIBU, Calif. - A day removed from Jon Moscot's complete game shutout victory over Gonzaga, Bulldog starter Marco Gonzales and reliever Cody Martin returned the favor in limiting the Waves to three hits in their 5-0 win Sunday afternoon at Eddy D. Field Stadium.
Gonzales (10-2) pitched the first 7.0 innings with eight strikeouts, bringing the Bulldogs (31-17-1 ) into a first-place tie with San Francisco atop the West Coast Conference standings at 14-4. These two teams will meet next weekend in Spokane, Wash., to decide who will represent the WCC at the NCAA Championships.
Martin followed with a pair of strikeouts over two innings in lowering his earned run average to 0.91.
Pepperdine (21-30, 6-12 WCC) had two good chances to break Gonzaga's shutout bid, placing runners in scoring position in the second and third innings. But Gonzales struck out Zach Vincej (Saugus, Calif./Saugus HS) to quell the first threat, and then he received some help from second baseman Thomas Henderson who made a diving stop of Ryan Van Amburg's (Campbell, Calif./St. Francis HS) hooking line drive.
Pepperdine's defense produced some diamond gems of its own. Center fielder Harrison Kain (Thousand Oaks, Calif./Thousand Oaks HS) added two outfield assists in bringing his season total to 12, first throwing out Cameron Edman at home plate in the third to preserve a 0-0 tie, and later teaming with Vincej to catch Royce Bolinger stretching for third base.
In the fifth inning, Van Amburg and second baseman Joe Sever (San Jose, Calif./Bellarmine College Preparatory) gunned down Henderson at third base but only after he drove in two on a double to right that made it a 4-0 game.
Alex Najera (Anaheim Hills, Calif./Canyon HS), in making the first weekend start of his collegiate career, blanked the Bulldogs over the first three innings before running into a bit of trouble in the fourth. Najera walked Keegan Acker with one out, and on a pickoff attempt to first base, his throw went wide of the bag and allowed the Bulldogs designate hitter to advance to third.
The next batter Henderson dropped a bunt right back to Najera, but Acker proved too speedy, leaving Najera with only one play to make at first base.
Gonzaga continued to play a bit of small ball during their three-run fifth. Billy Moon led off with a bunt single to second and moved to second after Edmond was hit by a pitch. The next two batters, Bolinger and Andy Hunter, then smacked shots up the middle that were stopped by Vincej and Sever, but on both occasions the Waves were only able to retire one base runner.
Hunter's ground ball RBI gave Gonzaga a 2-0 lead and kept the inning moving for Acker, who drew his second of three walks, and Thompson whose game-clinching double helped him finish 2-for-3 with three RBI.
Bolinger added a RBI double in the seventh off reliever Michael Swanner (Cardiff, Calif./La Costa Canyon HS) for Gonzaga's fifth and final run.
Two more Pepperdine relievers Corey Miller (Laguna Niguel, Calif./JSerra HS) and Jordan Luvisi (Scottsdale, Ariz./Notre Dame Preparatory) each pitched a scoreless inning to finish the game. Luvisi struck out two in the ninth in between one hit. Miller pitched a 1-2-3 eighth.
Pepperdine returns to action Tuesday at USC's Dedeaux Field. The regional rivals first will resume their halted game from April 12 at 3 p.m. with the game tied at 5-5 entering the 12th inning, and then will play their regularly scheduled game 30 minutes later.
The Waves complete their 2011 regular season at home next weekend with a three-game series vs. St. Mary's College that runs from Thursday to Saturday. Game time is set for 3 p.m. Thursday and Friday, and 1 p.m. for Saturday's Senior Day.
Gonzaga 5, Pepperdine 0 (May 22, 2011 at Malibu, Calif.)
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Gonzaga............. 000 130 100 - 5 11 1 (31-17-1, 14-4 WCC)
Pepperdine.......... 000 000 000 - 0 3 3 (21-30, 6-12 WCC)
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Pitchers: Gonzaga - GONZALES, Marco; MARTIN, Cody(8) and EDMAN, Cameron. Pepperdine -
Najera, Alex; SWANNER, Michael(6); MILLER, Cory(8); LUVISI, Jordan(9) and Diedrich, Trent.
Win-GONZALES, Marco(10-2) Loss-NAJERA, Alex(1-4) T-2:16 A-287
Weather: 66, Mostly Sunny
