Pepperdine University
Gonzaga
Wave Bats Bounce Back, Even Series with Gonzaga
3/17/2018 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
SPOKANE, Wash. " The Pepperdine baseball team bounced back in a big way after falling 1-0 to Gonzaga in the series opener Friday night as the Waves had four players finish with multiple hits and used a six-run fifth inning to beat the Zags 11-8 on Saturday night at Patterson Baseball Complex.
Jordan Qsar paced the Waves, going 2-for-3 with a home run, four RBI, three runs and got the final out with the tying run at the plate to pick up his first save of the season.
| BIG WAVES |
- Junior left fielder Matthew Kanfer (Playa Del Rey, Calif./L.A.C.E.S.) finished 3-for-5 with two RBI, two runs and a double.
- Junior right fielder Jordan Qsar (El Cajon, Calif./Valhalla HS) went 2-for-3 with a home run, four RBI, three runs and picked up his first save of the season.
- Freshman designated hitter Mike Malinchak (Delray Beach, Fla./American Heritage HS) went 2-for-3 with two RBI.
- Freshman first baseman Brandt Belk (Houston, Texas/Westside HS) finished 2-for-4 with three runs and two stolen bases.
- Freshman right-hander Cooper Chandler (Frisco, Texas/Wakeland HS) picked up his first collegiate win as he went three innings in relief and gave up an unearned run on one hit with three strikeouts.
| PLAY-BY-PLAY |
The Waves got on the board first as Brandt Belk hit a one-out single in the first inning before Jordan Qsar blasted his fourth home run of the season to give Pepperdine a 2-0 lead. The Zags answered, however, with a run in the second on a double and a two-out RBI single to make it 2-1.
Gonzaga took a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the third as Branson Trube and Jake Vieth hit back-to-back solo home runs with two outs in the inning.
The Waves answered in the fourth as Qsar was hit by a pitch, Matthew Kanfer dropped down a well-placed bunt for a single and Cory Wills was hit by a pitch to load the bases before freshman Michael Malinchak hit a two-out, two-run single up the middle to give Pepperdine a 4-3 advantage.
The Zags tied the game with the first batter in the next half inning as Daniel Frederickson led off the fourth with a solo shot to make it 4-4.
Once again the Waves had an answer as they loaded the bases in the fifth for Qsar who then worked a walk to make it 5-4. Kanfer followed with a two-run double, Wills hit an RBI single and Kanfer scored on passed ball to make it 9-4 Pepperdine. Chase Lambert just missed a grand slam as he flew out to the warning track " but that was good for a sacrifice fly to push the lead to 10-4.
Gonzaga scored two in the bottom of the fifth and another in the seventh to make it 10-7 before a Belk single and stolen base led to a Qsar RBI single to make it 11-7 in the top of the eighth. Gonzaga added one in the ninth, but Pepperdine held on for the victory.
| NOTABLES |
- Pepperdine stole a season-best four bases on Saturday night.
- With his home run and four RBI on Saturday, Qsar just 19 games into the season has already set a career-high for home runs (four) and RBI (25) in a season.
| UP NEXT |
The Waves play the rubber match of its series with Gonzaga noon Sunday in Spokane, Wash.
| FOLLOW |
Follow @PeppBaseball on Facebook and Twitter for immediate updates, results and more. Go to PepperdineWaves.com for all information, releases and schedules.
