April 12, 2022
 
MALIBU, California – The Pepperdine baseball team nearly made a comeback, but fell Tuesday afternoon at Eddy D. Field Stadium to #12 UCLA 9-7.
 
The Waves (17-14) and Bruins (23-9) battled it out and exchanged the lead four times throughout the game, but a three-run top of the ninth inning gave UCLA the final advantage to collect the win. Pepperdine had a season-high 17 hits.
 
BIG WAVES
 

• Sophomore designated hitter Charles Masino (Newbury Park, Calif./Oaks Christian HS) went 4-for-6 and scored one run. Masino is currently on a 12-game hitting streak and marked a new career high with four hits.
• Junior infielder Ryan Johnson (Tempe, Ariz./Seton Catholic HS) went 2-for-3 with two RBI and crossed the plate once. Johnson also drew two walks.
• Sophomore infielder Zach Chonkich (Redlands, Calif./Redlands HS) had a career-high three hits and career-high two RBI.
• Redshirt junior Michael Winaker (Walnut Creek, Calif./San Ramon HS) had two hits on the day, which is a career high.
• Freshman infielder Cam Conley (Lincoln University, Pa./Malvern Prep) hit his third career home run.

 
GAME RECAP
 
In the top of the first inning, UCLA came out swinging and scored two runs on three hits to take an early 2-0 lead. In the bottom of the fourth inning, Johnson reached base on a walk with one out. Cole Sheehan (Phoenix, Ariz./Mountain Pointe HS) hit a single to left field that moved Johnson to second. With two outs, Winaker drew a walk to load the bases. The Bruins had a passed ball at the plate that was able to score the Waves' first run and make it 2-1. Chonkich roped a two-RBI single to center field to give Pepperdine the lead at 3-2.
 
The Bruins answered back in the top of the fifth inning with one run on a Waves' wild pitch to tie the game at 3-3. Pepperdine took the lead back in the bottom of the fifth inning, when Johnson sent an RBI single to left field to make it 4-3. In the bottom of the sixth inning, the Waves scored on a Bruins' double play to extend the lead to 5-3.
 
In the first half of the eighth inning, UCLA collected three more runs on three hits including a double and a triple to take the lead 6-5. In the bottom of the eighth inning with one out, Conley took the first pitch he saw and sent it over the left field wall to tie the game again at 6-6. Quintt Landis (Westlake Village, Calif./Oaks Christian HS) smacked a single to center with two outs. Connor Bradshaw (New Rochelle, N.Y./Trinity-Pawling HS) followed Landis with a single of his own up the middle that advanced Landis to second. Johnson hit a single in the gap to right center that scored Landis to put the Waves back on top at 7-6.
 
In the top of the ninth inning, the Bruins led off with a single down the left field line. Alex Fernandes of UCLA advanced to second on a Pepperdine passed ball. The Bruins laid down a sacrifice bunt to move the runner to third. UCLA hit an RBI single to center field and tied the game for the third time at 7-7. Michael Curialle of UCLA sent a two-run home run over the left-field wall to give the Bruins a 9-7 lead.
 
The Waves nearly made a comeback in the bottom of the ninth inning with the bases loaded and two outs, but a ground ball up the middle took the Bruins' shortstop towards the second base for the force out and secured the win.
 
UP NEXT
 
Pepperdine will host San Francisco for a West Coast Conference series beginning on Thursday, April 14 with first pitch set for 3 p.m. The game will be live on the WCC Network.