SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The Pepperdine baseball team's comeback fell short at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium, as UC Santa Barbara won 9-4.
The Waves (23-23) outhit the Gauchos (41-7) 10-8, but all of UCSB' runs came via the home run, overcoming the Waves' offense.
BIG WAVES
- Junior infielder Aharon Modlin (Irvine, Calif./Woodbridge HS) went 2-for-4 on the day, driving in one.
- Freshman catcher Charlie Welch (Clearwater, Fla./Jefferson HS) went 1-for-3, driving in a run and scoring a run.
- Junior catcher Joe Caparis (Palos Verdes Estates, Calif./Palos Verdes HS) came off the bench in the ninth to get a hit in the lone at-bat he had all game, driving in a run as well.
GAME RECAP
The Gauchos struck first, hitting a solo home run in the second inning to take a 1-0 lead after two.
In the third inning, UCSB hit two more home runs, a three-run shot from McClain O'Connor and a two-run home run from Thomas Rowan, taking a 6-0 lead into the fourth inning.
The Waves got their first run in the top of the fourth inning. After a leadoff single from
Matthew Kanfer, he was brought in by a triple from
Reese Alexiades. Alexiades was then brought in on a single from
Aharon Modlin.
Another home run in the seventh gave the Gauchos a 7-2 lead. Then in the eighth, with runners on first and second, Jason Willow hit a ball over the wall in left for another home run. However, he passed the runner at first, turning a would-be three run shot into a two run shot and giving them a 9-2 lead.
The Waves made a bit of a comeback in the ninth, when
Charlie Welch singled in
Mike Malinchak from second. Welch was then brought in on an RBI single from
Joe Caparis to cut the Gaucho lead to the final 9-4 score.
UP NEXT
The Waves are back in action this weekend, hosting Saint Mary's in the final series of the year. An extremely important series, with West Coast Conference Tournament bids on the line, the Waves can make it into the tournament either by sweeping the Gaels, or by taking two from the Gaels and getting some help from Gonzaga who would need to take exactly two of three from LMU.