SPOKANE, Wash.  – John Peck hit a go-ahead two-run home run to left field in the top of the 11th inning as the Pepperdine baseball team took game one of its West Coast Conference series against #24 Gonzaga 7-5 on Friday night at Patterson Baseball Complex.
 
The Waves (15-9, 5-2) took an early 3-0 against the Bulldogs (16-7, 5-2) in the top of the fourth inning, but Pepperdine and Gonzaga went back and forth to tie the game three times and go into extra innings. This was the first time since 2020 that the Waves went into extra innings.
 
BIG WAVES
 

• Sophomore infielder John Peck (Moorpark, Calif./Moorpark HS) had two hits on the day including the winning two-run home run. Peck had two RBI and crossed the plate once. This is Peck's second late-inning game-winning hit this season and also extends his hitting streak to 15.
• Sophomore designated hitter Charles Masino (Newbury Park, Calif./Oaks Christian HS) went 2-for-5 with two runs scored.
• Sophomore outfielder Connor Bradshaw (New Rochelle, N.Y./Trinity-Pawling HS) went 2-for-4 with a triple and a double. Bradshaw also had two walks and crossed the plate twice.
• Junior outfielder Quintt Landis (Westlake Village, Calif./Oaks Christian HS) had two hits on the day including his first career home run. Landis had a career-high three RBI.
• Redshirt junior LHP Tyler Murrah (Dallas, Texas/Jesuit College Prep) threw 3.0 innings in relief to get the win while allowing only one hit and striking out two hitters. Murrah collected his second win of the season.

 
GAME RECAP
 
The Waves got things going early in the top of the first inning, putting together a three-hit, two-out rally to score the first two runs. Mike Malinchak (Delray Beach, Fla./American Heritage HS) hit a single to center field with two outs. Bradshaw hit a double down the right field line to advance Malinchak to third base. Landis hit a single past the shortstop that scored Malinchak and Bradshaw to go up 2-0. In the top of the fourth inning, Landis ripped a home run to left field to give the Waves a 3-0 lead.
 
In the bottom of the fifth inning, Gonzaga had its own two-out rally, scoring three runs on a single to left field and a double to left field to tie the game at 3-3. Bradshaw led off the top of the sixth inning with a walk. With one out, Bradshaw moved into scoring position on a Bulldogs' wild pitch. Ryan Johnson (Tempe, Ariz./Seton Catholic HS) also drew a walk with one out. Another Gonzaga wild pitch advanced Bradshaw to third and Johnson to second. On a Waves ground out to the right side of the field, Bradshaw scored to give the Waves a 4-3 lead. In the bottom of the sixth inning, the Bulldogs answered back and tied the game again at 4-4.
 
In the top of the seventh inning, Masino singled to third with one out and advanced to second on a throwing error. Peck hit a single to left field that advanced Masino to third and gave the Waves runners on the corners with one out. Peck moved to second on a ground ball to third base. Gonzaga threw a ball in the dirt that went past the catcher, and Masino crossed home plate to make it 5-4. In the bottom of the seventh, the Bulldogs hit an RBI single to left center and tied the game again at 5-5.
 
Two scoreless innings took Pepperdine and Gonzaga into extra innings. A scoreless 10th inning brought the Waves back to the plate in the top of the 11th. With one out, Masino drew a walk and Peck came in clutch and hit a two-run blast to left field to give the Waves the final lead at 7-5. Jack Baird (Parker, Colo./Legend HS) came in to pitch in the bottom of the 11th inning, and after a lead-off single to center field by the Bulldogs, Baird and the Waves shut down Gonzaga to secure the win. Baird collected his second save of the season. 
 
UP NEXT
 
The Waves and Bulldogs will meet again for game two on Saturday, April 2 with first pitch set for 6 p.m. The game will be streamed live on the WCC Network.