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Pepperdine University Athletics

Nick Costello

Baseball

Waves Finish Off Sweep of Broncos With 6-2 Win

April 12, 2015

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MALIBU, Calif. -- The Pepperdine baseball team completed a sweep of Santa Clara at home on Sunday with a 6-2 win over the Broncos. It was the Waves' ninth win in their last 11 games and eighth in their last nine WCC contests.

Pepperdine scored three runs in the first and sixth innings, getting a big bases-loaded double from Nick Costello to break the game open in the sixth. Pepperdine is now 20-17 on the year and 10-5 in WCC play. The Waves sit in third place in the conference standings with four WCC series remaining.

"Santa Clara is a good team with some real offensive threats and I was just proud of our guys for coming out and competing for nine innings," said head coach Steve Rodriguez. "They put us on our heels a little bit by striking first, but we came right back with three runs in the bottom half of the inning to respond."

Pepperdine got an RBI double from Aaron Barnett (Mission Viejo, Calif./Capistrano Valley HS) in the bottom of the first and then scored two runs after a Bronco error to go up 3-1. After Santa Clara made it a one-run game with a score in the fifth, the Waves again answered, tacking on three runs in the bottom of the sixth thanks to a bases-loaded walk and then Costello's double down the left-field line.

Ryan Wilson (Carlsbad, Calif./Carlsbad HS) got the start and worked his way through 5.0 innings for the win, scattering five hits and giving up two earned runs to move to 6-1 on the year. Evan Dunn (Las Vegas, Nev./Bishop Gorman HS) replaced Wilson to start the sixth and worked 3.0 scoreless relief innings to help seal the win. Dunn gave up three hits and no walks, striking out one batter. Max Gamboa (Mill Valley, Calif./Tamalpais HS) worked a scoreless ninth, getting a 6-4-3 double play to end the game.

"Evan did a phenomenal job for us today on the mound," said Rodriguez. "Ryan did a great job competing through his five innings as well. He didn't have his best stuff, but it was enough to keep us in it and then we were able to break it open late."

Manny Jefferson (Lakewood, Calif./Lakewood HS) finished the day 2-for-3 at the plate and Costello (Claremont, Calif./Claremont HS) was 1-for-1 in his lone pinch-hit at-bat. The Waves posted seven hits on the day to eight for the Broncos. Stevie Berman and T.J. Braff each had two-hit, one-RBI days for the visitors.

"Offensively we did a good job in some critical spots with Aaron getting that big hit early and then Nick coming through with the bases loaded," said Rodriguez. "You have to have guys who can come through in situations like that and that's what has kept our momentum going lately."

Pepperdine has swept two of its last three WCC series and took two-of-three from Pacific a week ago, losing the Saturday game by just one run.

The Waves stay home next week as they take on No. 7 USC on Tuesday in Malibu and then welcome Saint Mary's next weekend for a three-game WCC series.

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