Box Score MALIBU, Calif. – The Pepperdine baseball team could not overcome an early deficit, as it fell to California Baptist 6-2.
The Lancers (2-1) scored two runs in the second inning, and never trailed the Waves (1-2) during the game.
BIG WAVES
- Senior outfielder Reese Alexiades (Manhattan Beach, Calif./Mira Costa HS) had two hits on the day, the most of any Wave.
- Senior infielder Justin Lutes (Las Vegas, Nev./College of Southern Nevada) went 1-for-4 on the day, with an RBI single.
- Freshman RHP Brandon Llewellyn (Colleyville, Texas/IMG Academy) pitch masterfully in his collegiate debut, facing 14 batters and striking out seven. He gave up just one run.
PLAY-BY-PLAY
The Lancers started the scoring in the second inning on a three-run home run after a walk and a single. California Baptist scored again on a fielding error, making it 4-0 through two innings.
The Lancers scored again in the fourth on a two-out RBI single.
Pepperdine got its first two runs in the sixth inning. After
Billy Cook (Monument, Colo./Lewis Palmer HS) was hit by a pitch, Modlin singled through the right side, advancing Cook to third. Lutes (Las Vegas, Nev./College of Southern Nevada) singled into center, plating Cook. After an Alexiades single that loaded the bases,
Ryan Johnson (Tempe, Ariz./Seton Catholic HS) reached on a fielder's choice that scored Modlin from third, and got the Waves to within three runs after five and a half innings of play.
The Lancers answered in the bottom half of the sixth, when after Llewellyn struck out two batters, a dropped third strike allowed a runner to reach first. He was then tripled in to score and give California Baptist a 6-2 lead.
Llewellyn entered the game in relief in the fifth and, in his collegiate debut, struck out seven of the 14 batters he faced. He came off the mound with a final line of 3.1 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 7 K, 0 BB.
The Waves got a leadoff double in the ninth, but could not push any runs across, as the Lancers took the series.
UP NEXT
The Waves are back in action on Friday, as they host UC Santa Barbara in the first of an unusual four-game series. Games one and four will be played in Malibu, and games two and three will be played on Saturday in a double header in Santa Barbara. Game one's first pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Eddy D. Field Stadium.
