Final Stats

Box Score

MALIBU, Calif. -- The Pepperdine baseball team dropped a back-and-forth ballgame on Friday afternoon, falling to Gonzaga 10-9 in the series opener between the teams.

The Waves held an 8-5 lead heading into the eighth, but the visiting Zags scored five runs in the top half of the inning to take a 10-8 lead that they would hold. The win keeps Gonzaga in contention for a spot in the WCC Tournament, while Pepperdine needs just one win to clinch a spot in the postseason.

The Waves got a 4-for-5 day from Matt Gelalich (La Verne, Calif./Bonita HS) at the plate and posted 13 hits in the game, but it wasn't enough to overcome the 14 hits put up by Gonzaga. Gelalich had two triples and two singles, driving in a career-high four runs on the afternoon.

After the Zags struck first in the opening frame, the Waves answered with three runs on Gelalich's first triple of the day, as the Pepperdine centerfielder sent one to the wall with the bases loaded. Gonzaga answered with a run in the third and then took a 5-3 lead with three runs in the top of the fifth.

Pepperdine again responded quickly, putting up four runs in the bottom of the fifth. Aaron Barnett (Mission Viejo, Calif./Capistrano Valley HS) doubled in a run and both Gelalich and Kolten Yamaguchi (Kona, Hawai'i/Konawaena HS) had RBI singles. A sacrifice fly in the seventh put the Waves up by three, but Gonzaga took the lead back in the eighth, scoring five times on six hits in the decisive frame.

The Waves would score in the ninth after Gelalich tripled off the wall again and Manny Jefferson (Lakewood, Calif./Lakewood HS) brought him home with a single. Pepperdine left two runners on, however, as David Bigelow held on for the save for the visitors.

Reliever Wyatt Mills got the win for Gonzaga and Chandler Blanchard (Henderson, Nev./Coronado HS) took the loss for the Waves. The loss drops Pepperdine to 25-26, 15-10 WCC, while the Zags move to 24-26, 13-12 WCC. The two teams continue their series tomorrow at 1 p.m. in Malibu.