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Pepperdine University Athletics

Nathan Diamond
Jeff Golden
Nathan Diamond
11
Winner Pepperdine PEPP 2-7
5
USC USC 3-5
Winner
Pepperdine PEPP
2-7
11
Final
5
USC USC
3-5
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Pepperdine PEPP 0 1 3 2 0 4 0 0 1 11 17 2
USC USC 2 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 5 11 2

W: Groen, Gunnar (1-0) L: Champlain, Chandler (1-1) S: Diamond, Nathan (1)

Game Recap: Baseball | | by Athletic Communications

Waves Earn Victory over Trojans

LOS ANGELES – The Pepperdine baseball team exploded on offense, notching 17 hits in an 11-5 victory over USC on Saturday afternoon. All but three Waves in the lineup had multiple hits in the game.
 
The Trojans (3-5) got off to a hot start in the first inning, but the Waves (2-7) had too much offensive fire power to be denied a victory.
 
BIG WAVES
  • Senior infielder Justin Lutes (Las Vegas, Nev./College of Southern Nevada) had a huge day, going 3-for-4 with a home run, a double and two RBI.
  • Senior infielder Aharon Modlin (Irvine, Calif./Woodbridge HS) had the best day of his season thus far, going 4-for5 with a double and three runs scored.
  • Sophomore utility Ryan Johnson (Tempe, Ariz./Seton Catholic HS) went 2-for-5 with two RBI and two runs scored.
  • Sophomore outfielder Grant Schoen (Clackamas, Ore./Clackamas HS) went 2-for—5, including his first two collegiate RBI.
  • Sophomore LHP Nathan Diamond (Oak Park, Ill./Oak and River Forest HS) threw four innings of relief, giving up just three hits in his entire outing.
 
PLAY-BY-PLAY
The Trojans got on the board first after an RBI-groundout and a solo home run, leading 2-0 after one inning of play.

In the second, the Waves got a single from Johnson to lead things off. He advanced to second on a wild pitch and was moved to third on a Joe Caparis Palos Verdes Estates, Calif./Palso Verdes HS) single. Schoen then singled into left field to get the Waves' first run across the plate.

Pepperdine took the lead in the third inning. Modlin singled through the left side to start the inning and was moved to third on a Lutes double. Modlin then scored on an RBI groundout from Johnson. Lutes scored on a Connor Bradshaw (New Rochelle, N.Y./Trinity-Pawling HS) single to left. Bradshaw advanced to second on the throw into the infield and was brought around to score on another Schoen RBI-single, this time to center. USC answered with a run of their own in the third, and the Waves led 4-3 through three innings of play.

In the fourth inning, Modlin hit a double down the left field line, setting up Lutes for a monster two-run home run to deep right field, giving the Waves a 6-3 lead through three and a half.
USC got two runs back in the fifth inning on a two-RBI single through the left side. Through five innings, the Waves led 6-5.

After Billy Cook (Monument, Colo./Lewis Palmer HS) was hit by a pitch to lead off the sixth inning, a Modlin single moved him to third. Cook scored on a wild pitch, and Modlin scored on a Johnson double into left center. Bradshaw then hit his second triple in as many days, driving in Johnson and Lutes, who walked earlier in the inning. Through five and a half innings, the Waves led 10-5.

Gunnar Groen (Austin, Texas/Westlake HS) went five full innings, giving up five runs on eight hits, striking out two batters.

In the ninth, The Waves loaded the bases thanks to a Wyatt Young (Honolulu, Hawaii/Mid-Pacific Institute single, Cook hit by pitch and Lutes intentional walk. Johnson then hit a towering fly ball to left field that just stayed in the yard but was deep enough to score Young to push the Waves lead to 11-5 through eight and a half. Diamond, who came in for Groen in the sixth inning, shut down the Trojans to secure the victory for the Waves.

UP NEXT
The Waves are back at it again on Sunday, traveling to Orange County to take on Cal State Fullerton, with first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m.
 
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