SANTA BARBARA, California – The Pepperdine baseball team dropped a midweek non-conference matchup against #25 UC Santa Barbara 7-4 on Tuesday night at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium.
The Gauchos (31-10) scored early in the bottom of the second inning and the Waves (20-19) tried to battle back, but fell short to split the non-conference series 1-1.
BIG WAVES
- Sophomore infielder John Peck (Moorpark, Calif./Moorpark HS) went 3-for-4 and crossed the plate twice. Peck was one hit shy of tying his career high of four.
- Junior catcher Ryan Johnson (Tempe, Ariz./Seton Catholic HS) hit his ninth home run of the season. Johnson had a two-run home run in the fourth inning.
- Sophomore outfielder Connor Bradshaw (New Rochelle, N.Y./Trinity-Pawling HS) hit his fourth home run of the season and had two RBI.
- Freshman infielder Devon Walczykowski (El Dorado Hills, Calif./Jesuit HS) went 1-for-2 on the night.
GAME RECAP
The Gauchos scored four runs in the bottom of the second inning to take an early 4-0 lead. In the top of the fourth inning, Peck roped a double to right field to start. With one out, Johnson smacked a two-run home run ball over the left-field wall to cut the deficit in half and make it 4-2.
In the bottom of the seventh inning, Broc Mortensen of UCSB hit a three-run home run to add to the Gauchos' lead and make it 7-2. With one out in the top of the eighth inning, Peck sent a single to right field. Bradshaw, on a 2-1 count, hit an opposite field two-run home run to get the Waves back within three at 7-4.
In the top of the final inning, the Gauchos retired the Waves on a double play and a strikeout to secure the win.
UP NEXT
Pepperdine will be on its home turf this weekend hosting BYU for a West Coast Conference series beginning on Thursday, May 5 with first pitch set for 3 p.m. The game will be streamed live on the WCC Network.
