MALIBU, Calif. - The Pepperdine baseball team evened up the series against Pacific in a thrilling win Saturday afternoon at Eddy D. Field Stadium.
 
The Waves (6-17) took the lead early in the first inning before the Tigers (5-17) would tie it up. Knocking a three run home run over the left field wall, Pacific seemed to secure the game in the sixth inning. Pepperdine would refute that, scoring eight in the bottom of the sixth, comfortably holding the lead for the remaining three innings, winning in dominant fashion 13-6. 
 
BIG WAVES
 
Junior catcher Andrew Savage (Woodstock, Ontario, Canada) hit his first home run of the season and the Waves' first grand slam, totaling a career-high five RBIs.
 
Graduate infielder Brady Renck (Longmont, Colo.) found a base every time he stepped up to the plate, hitting 4-for-4 including two doubles, an inside-the-park homerun and 2 RBIs.
 
Freshman utility player Corwin Hemmingsen (Cave Creek, Ariz.) was perfect as the designated hitter, going 5-for-5 with an RBI.
 
RECAP
 
After a three up, three down inning by sophomore RHP Tommy Scavone (Pleasanton, Calif.) the Waves' offense wasted no time getting to work. Renck led things off, singling to the pitcher, advancing to second on a wild pitch, and stealing third. Junior infielder Julian Nunez would step up to the plate with one out and Renck ready to come home. Sending a ball high to left field, Nunez would tally an RBI as the sacrificial fly would put the Waves up 1-0 to end the first inning.
 
A lead-off double would put the Tigers in position to tie things up and a single to center followed by a bobbled bunt scored one before the end of the half-inning, tying things at one.
 
The next three innings would see no runs scored as Scavone did his part on the Waves defense with three strikeouts in the following two innings before freshman Jordan Cole (Huntington Beach, Calif.) came in to pitch three up, three down in the fifth.
 
Offense would boost the confidence of both teams in the sixth. First, the Tigers would get their bats going. With two on, Chase Graves would send a homerun out of left field, giving Pacific a three run lead by the middle of the sixth.
 
Pepperdine was ready for the challenge. Down three, it was one batter at a time. Senior infielder Charles Masino (Newbury Park, Calif.) walked to start the inning and Hemmingsen would hit one of his five singles to right field, giving junior infielder Luke Pemberton (Boulder, Colo.) runners at the corners with no outs. Successfully laying down a bunt, Pemberton would find himself on first with Masino scoring the first run of the inning. 4-2 Tigers.
 
Graduate outfielder Nick Upstill (Huntington Beach, Calif.) would hit the second successful bunt of the inning, leaving the bases loaded for senior outfielder Connor Walsh (Niceville, Fla.). Singling to left field, Walsh drove in Hemmingsen, cutting the Tiger lead to one and once again leaving the bases loaded.
 
Savage stepped up to the plate and for the first time this season, blasted a ball well over the left field wall, securing a three-run Pepperdine lead and cemented the first grand slam of the season at the perfect time.
 
On the very next pitch, Renck would send a ball to right-center at the warning track and after a miscommunication on the defense, the ball dropped and Renck made his way around the bases before the ball would find the infield, good for an inside-the-park homerun and an 8-4 Pepperdine lead.
 
Before the inning ended, Masino would single down the left field line on his second trip of the inning to the batter's box. Hemmingsen, on his second right-field single of the inning, scored Masino from first and the Waves ended the inning up five, an explosive eight run bottom of the sixth.
 
Pacific tried to match Pepperdine with their second home run of the day, scoring one and ending the seventh with two after a double and sacrificial fly.
 
The Waves matched the Tigers two-run inning in the bottom of the seventh largely thanks to Renck's first double of the day and a single by Savage. Those two hits would produce two runs, giving Pepperdine a 6-11 lead going to the eighth.
 
Unable to answer in the top of the eighth, the Tigers' offense would stalemate at six runs while the Waves would tally on two more in the bottom half of the inning, thanks to the same dangerous duo of Savage and Renck, who hit a single and double respectively.
 
Pepperdine would win the game convincingly 13-6.
 
UP NEXT
 
Pepperdine will look for the series win tomorrow at Eddy D. Field Stadium where they play a third and final game against Pacific at 1:00 p.m.