Final Stats

Box Score

MALIBU, Calif. - Jordan Qsar hit a walk-off, two-run homer to give the Pepperdine baseball team a 2-1 win over Tulane at home on Sunday afternoon.

The Waves had managed just one hit through eight innings leading up to the freshman's heroics, as Sunday was a pitcher's duel for most of the afternoon.

"We struggled this weekend and that's always tough to watch, but that's how you grow," said head coach Steve Rodriguez. "We're a young team and that's what we hope to do from this. Qsar did a great job coming through for us at the end there, though, we needed that."

Tulane starter Tim Yandel held the Waves hitless through his 6.1 innings of work, but exited when Pepperdine loaded the bases with one out in the seventh. Ian Gibaut came in for the Green Wave and got a pair of strikeouts to end the threat, though.

After the Waves again loaded the bases, but couldn't score in the eighth, Jack Ross (Gilroy, Calif./Palma HS) worked a one-out walk to set up Qsar (El Cajon, Calif./Valhalla HS). Pinch-hitting at the bottom of the lineup, Qsar laced a 1-1 pitch to right-center that just cleared the wall and set off the celebration. It was the first career homer for the freshman outfielder.

Despite the offensive struggles, two freshman pitchers kept the Waves in it until the ninth. Ryan Wilson (Carlsbad, Calif./Carlsbad HS) got the start and threw 6.0 innings, giving up four hits and one earned run, while striking out six batters. Max Gamboa (Mill Valley, Calif./Tamalpais HS) relieved Wilson to start the seventh and proceeded to give up just two hits and no runs in 3.0 innings of work. Gamboa picked up the win on the walk-off.

"The two freshman today did a tremendous job on the mound for us," said Rodriguez. "They came out and did exactly what we asked them to do. They didn't do too much and just pitched within their abilities. It was really important for us to not give up that big inning, and they didn't. I told them we can come back from one run here or there, but those four or five-run innings are tough to come back from. Eliminating that was huge for us."

Wilson gave up the lone run of the game in the fourth inning on an RBI single by Tulane's Lex Kaplan. The freshman starter bounced back and got a strikeout and popout to end the inning and strand runners on first and third. Wilson started out his day with three-straight one-two-three innings, not allowing a hit until the fourth.

Brandon Caruso (Pasadena, Calif./Loyola HS) saved a run from coming in in the third when he caught a fly ball in right and fired a strike to the plate to toss out the tagging Tulane runner from third.

The win moves Pepperdine to 1-2 on the season as the Waves avoid the three-game sweep and Tulane falls to 2-1. Pepperdine is back in action on Tuesday then the team heads to Long Beach State for a non-conference matchup. Butler then comes to town next weekend for a three-game series.