Final Stats

Box Score

MALIBU, Calif. - The Pepperdine baseball team suffered a 9-5 loss to BYU on Thursday in the opening game of the teams' three-game West Coast Conference Series.

The loss drops the Waves to 20-20 overall, 10-9 WCC, while BYU moves to 31-11, 13-6 WCC.

Pepperdine jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the second inning, scoring on a groundout by Chase Lambert (Malibu, Calif./Malibu HS) and a single by Brandon Caruso (Pasadena, Calif./Loyola HS). The advantage would only last a half inning.

The Cougars got on the board in the third, ending Pepperdine starter A.J. Puckett's (Danville, Calif./De La Salle HS) scoreless streak at 45.2 innings with a two-run homer by Brennon Lund. They were the first two earned runs Puckett had given up since March 4, a streak of 57.1 innings. Puckett's 45.2 scoreless innings streak is the third longest in the history of the NCAA and the longest since Todd Helton's 47 scoreless innings in 1994.

BYU grabbed the lead in the fifth, scoring three runs after loading the bases with two outs. The Cougars drew a bases-loaded walk and then Tanner Chauncey singled down the right field line to bring home two more runs.

Pepperdine got a run back in the bottom half of the fifth, scoring on an errant throw to first. The Waves would load the bases, but couldn't come up with any more runs. Pepperdine later got runners on the corners in the sixth, but couldn't come up with a clutch hit that inning either.

BYU loaded the bases in the top of the fifth, but Max Green (Rolling Hills Estate, Calif./Palos Verdes Peninsula HS) entered the game and induced a ground ball to third to strand all three runners. The 5.2 innings pitched by Puckett were his shortest outing of the year. He gave up six hits and five runs to fall to 7-3 on the year. The home run was the first the Pepperdine ace has given up all year and the loss was his first since March 4, a streak that spans his last seven starts prior to Thursday.

The Cougars added to their advantage in the seventh, scoring two more runs on an RBI double and RBI single. Both teams scored twice in the ninth and the Waves loaded the bases with one out in the final frame, but again couldn't come up with the big hit they needed.

Michael Rucker got the win for BYU, improving to an NCAA best 10-0 on the year. He tossed 6.0 innings, giving up nine hits and three runs.

Pepperdine outhit the Cougars, 12-11 in the game, getting four multi-hit days. Three BYU players posted two-hit games.

The Waves and Cougars continue their series tomorrow at 3 p.m. in Malibu.