MALIBU, Calif. - The Pepperdine baseball team overcame a five-run deficit in the ninth inning, capitalizing on a double by Beckett Vine and a three-run home run from Brady Renck that got the rally started, along with costly errors and walks by #24 UC Santa Barbara to win 10-9.
The Gauchos (3-4) scored early, but the Waves (2-7) stayed competitive with runs in three of the first five innings to keep the score within two. Thanks to two home runs, including a three-run shot in the bottom of the ninth, Pepperdine was able to build off momentum and beat a ranked team for the first time since April 11 of last year.
BIG WAVES
Junior infielder Julian Nunez (Encinitas, Calif.) went 2-for-4 today with a two-run home run in the bottom of the fourth for his first of the year.
Graduate infielder Brady Renck (Bryn Mawr, Pa.) hit 1-for-2 today, including the three-run home run that put the Waves in victory formation.
Freshman utility player Corwin Hemmingsen (Cave Creek, Ariz.) batted 2-for-3 and earned his RBI on the winning run in the bottom of the ninth with a walk.
GAME RECAP
Things started in favor of the opposition as the Waves found themselves behind 2-0 in the top of the first thanks to a pair of hits and a homer from the Gauchos.
Redshirt senior outfielder Connor Walsh (Niceville, Fla.) would find an answer in the bottom of the first, hitting a sac fly to score junior infielder Justin Rubin (Bryn Mawr, Pa.), who led the inning with a single to the shortstop.
Bats would go silent in the second, just to pick right back up in the third and fourth. A handful of singles and stolen bases would allow UCSB to score three in the third. Pepperdine would not answer until the fourth inning. Redshirt junior outfielder Luke Pemberton (Boulder, Colo.) reached first after being struck by a pitch. Nunez had his eyes on the ocean as he blasted a two-run homer over the left-field wall. By the end of the fourth, the Waves would trail 5-3.
The fifth inning brought a pair of matched runs, one by the Gauchos and one by the second Walsh RBI, scoring Renck.
UCSB would go on to outscore Pepperdine 3-0 in the next three innings, leaving the Gauchos ahead 9-4 with three outs to go.
Junior infielder Cole Sheehan (Phoenix, Ariz.) led things off for the Waves with a walk. Hemmingsen followed the walk up with a single to right field, setting up redshirt sophomore Beckett Vine (Houston, Texas) who doubled down the left field line, scoring Sheehan.
Two on, nobody out. Renck stepped up to the plate and found the perfect time to have his first homer of the year. Blasting the ball over center field, Renck scored three and put Pepperdine within reach of a win. 8-9 Gauchos.
After a single to left by Jacob Rebrook (The Woodlands, Texas), two errors, one walk, and one out, the Waves had the bases loaded. UCSB opted for a pitching change and after gaining one strikeout, Hemmingsen was walked on four-straight pitches and Charles Masino (Newbury Park, Calif.) would come home.
The Waves came out victorious 10-9.
UP NEXT
Pepperdine stays home for their next matchup, playing Friday, March 1 against UC Riverside at Eddy D. FIeld Stadium.
