SPOKANE, Wash.  – The Pepperdine baseball team fell 7-2 to #24 Gonzaga in game two of its West Coast Conference series on Saturday night at the Patterson Baseball Complex.
 
The Waves (15-10, 5-3) were unable to get things going until the third inning, as the Zags (17-7, 6-2) held onto an early lead to split the series.
 
BIG WAVES
 

• Sophomore designated hitter Charles Masino (Newbury Park, Calif./Oaks Christian HS) went 2-for-5 and crossed the plate once. Masino is currently on a six game hitting streak. 
• Graduate student outfielder Mike Malinchak (Delray Beach, Fla./American Heritage HS) went 1-for-2 on the day with two walks, an RBI and the Waves' only double. Malinchak added to his hitting streak, which is now at 15.
• Junior outfielder Quintt Landis (Westlake Village, Calif./Oaks Christian HS) had one hit and scored one run.

 
GAME RECAP
 
Gonzaga took an early 4-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. In the top of the third inning, with one out, Masino hit a single to center field. WIth two outs, Malinchak roped a double to left center and scored Masino to make it 4-1.
 
In the top of the fourth inning, Landis led off with a single to left. Ryan Johnson (Tempe, Ariz./Seton Catholic HS) then drew a walk to move Landis to second. Greg Mehlhaff (Gresham, Ore./Clackamas HS) put a sacrifice bunt down to move Landis and Johnson to second and third. On a ground ball to the shortstop, Landis scored the second run for the Waves to make it 4-2. Gonzaga answered back in the bottom of the fourth inning with two runs to extend the lead at 6-2.
 
In the bottom of the sixth inning, the Bulldogs scored on a wild pitch to make it 7-2. The Zags closed out the game in the top of the ninth to secure the win.
 
UP NEXT
 
The Waves and Bulldogs will face off in a rubber match on Sunday, April 3 with first pitch scheduled for 12 p.m. The game will be streamed on the WCC Network.