Final Stats

Box Score

MORAGA, Calif. - The Pepperdine baseball team opened a crucial series at first-place Saint Mary's with a commanding 10-1 win on Friday afternoon, behind an early offensive outburst and dominant pitching from A.J. Puckett.

In what was billed as a duel between the West Coast Conference's top two pitchers, the Pepperdine offense took over with six runs in the third inning. Puckett did the rest, tossing 7.2 strong innings in which he gave up just three hits and one run.

The Waves move to 24-20 overall with the win and 13-9 in WCC play, while the Gaels fall to 26-21, 14-8 WCC. Pepperdine is just a game out of first place after the victory.

The Waves pounced on Saint Mary's starter Corbin Burnes in the third inning, scoring their first run on a Burnes error before pounding three extra-base hits. Brad Anderson (Yorba Linda, Calif./Esperanza HS) tripled off the wall in right-center, bringing home two more runs for Pepperdine and making it a 3-0 game. Manny Jefferson (Lakewood, Calif./Lakewood HS) bounced a ball over the wall in left for a ground-rule double, bringing home Anderson for the fourth run of the inning. Ben Rodriguez (Scottsdale, Ariz./Desert Mountain HS) capped the scoring with a two-run home run to left-center. It was Rodriguez's sixth long ball of the year and gave the Waves a single, double, triple and homer in the inning.

Pepperdine's offensive outburst in the third chased the Gaels' ace, Burnes, after 2.1 innings pitched. Burnes came into the game with a 1.57 ERA, good for second best in the conference behind only Puckett's 1.17 mark. Saint Mary's was 12-0 with Burnes on the mound coming into the game.

The Waves tacked on another run in the fourth inning, getting a sacrifice fly from Anderson to make it 7-0. The Gaels would answer in the bottom half of the inning with a run of their own, getting a solo-home run from Nate Nolan on what was the second hit of the game given up by Puckett.

A Chase Lambert (Malibu, Calif./Malibu HS) single would score another run for the Waves in the seventh and Rodriguez scored on a wild pitch to give Pepperdine an eight run lead. Brandon Caruso (Pasadena, Calif./Loyola HS) made it 10-1 with a sacrifice fly in the eighth.

Puckett (Danville, Calif./De La Salle HS) worked into the eighth inning, getting the first two outs before giving way to Jonathan Pendergast (San Diego, Calif./Catherdral Catholic HS). Puckett gave up just the three hits and one run, while striking out eight batters and walking none to move to 8-3. It was the third outing this season in which the Pepperdine righty has struck out at least eight batters and walked none.

Anderson led the Waves with his three RBI and Rodriguez posted two. Jefferson, Rodriguez and Lambert each had two-hit days for the Waves, as Pepperdine out-hit Saint Mary's 10-3.

The Waves and Gaels will continue their series tomorrow at 2 p.m. in Moraga. That game can be seen live on TheW.tv.