Final Stats

Box Score

MALIBU, Calif. - The Pepperdine baseball team fell 8-6 to Santa Clara on Friday afternoon in the teams' series opener after the clubs traded the lead late.

Pepperdine broke a tie game with two runs in the bottom of the eighth inning, but surrendered four runs in the top of the ninth, three of which were unearned.

With the game tied 4-4, the Waves' Matt Gelalich (La Verne, Calif./Bonita HS) drew a bases-loaded walk to make it a 5-4 game with one out in the eighth inning. Santa Clara would drop an infield fly, allowing another run to score and giving the home team a two-run lead.

Jake Brodt hit an RBI single for the visitors in the top of the ninth to make it a 6-5 game, and then an error allowed a run to score and eventually extended the inning. A squeeze bunt and RBI single gave Santa Clara the 8-6 advantage for good.

The Waves scored a run in each of the first three innings and the Broncos put up two runs in both the second and third. Pepperdine capitalized on a Santa Clara error to tie the game in the bottom of the sixth inning.

Pepperdine outhit the Broncos 15-6 on the day. Quincy McAfee (Houston, Texas/Westside HS) went 3-for-5 at the plate and five other Waves had two-hit days. Brodt was 3-for-4 for the visitors.

Santa Clara and Pepperdine will be back at it tomorrow at 3 p.m. in Malibu. That game can be seen live on TheW.tv.