MALIBU, Calif. - The Pepperdine baseball team dropped the second game of the series to Cal Poly after losing a close game 4-3 in San Luis Obispo March 5.
 
The Waves (12-37, 6-15) stayed even with the Mustangs (32-19, 17-7) at 12 hits, but could not capitalize with 11 stranded, losing 12-6.
 
BIG WAVES
 
Graduate outfielder Nick Upstill (Huntington Beach, Calif.) went 2-for-3 with an RBI.
 
Senior infielder Luke Pemberton (Boulder, Colo.) hit his second home run of the season in the bottom of the eighth inning and three RBIs on the afternoon.
 
RECAP
 
Cal Poly jumped out in front first, scoring one on a double to left-centerfield. The Mustangs led 1-0 by the end of the first inning.
 
The next two innings would go silent as freshman RHP Wyatt Nichol (Laguna Niguel, Calif.) only allowed one hit through the third inning.
 
On two hits, the Mustangs added two more runs to take a 3-0 lead by the middle of the fourth inning.
 
Kicking things off for the Waves in the bottom of the fourth, Pemberton knocked a single into right field, advancing Upstill who had reached on a walk. Bringing Upstill home, junior catcher Andrew Savage (Woodstock, Ontario, Canada) hit a single through the right field side. The deficit would be lessened as Pepperdine trailed 3-1 by the end of the fourth.
 
A three-run homer extended the lead for Cal Poly, who led 6-1 halfway through the fifth inning.
 
Two walks and a hit batter by the Mustang defense would load the bases in the bottom of the fifth for Pemberton. Getting hit by a pitch would advance all runners 90 feet, making it 6-2 Mustangs at the end of the inning.
 
Six hits through the next three innings gave Cal Poly six unanswered runs. The Mustangs led 12-3 going into the bottom half of the eighth inning.
 
Pemberton sailed a ball over the left field wall for his second home run of the season, making it a 12-3 game with one inning to go.
 
Without any insurance runs added in the top of the ninth, it was time for an attempted rally from the Waves. Senior outfielder Connor Walsh (Niceville, Fla.), senior outfielder Connor Bradshaw (New Rochelle, N.Y.) and junior infielder Julian Nunez (Encinitas, Calif.) all dropped singles to load the bases. Stepping up to the plate, Upstill knocked a ball into center field to score Walsh, making it 12-4 Mustangs. For his third RBI of the afternoon, Pemberton reached first on a fielder's choice to score Bradshaw. Thanks to a wild pitch, Nunez would score shortly after as well.
 
The rally ended abruptly as Pepperdine fell in the home season finale 12-6.
 
UP NEXT
 
Pepperdine heads to Spokane, Wash. to close out the season against Gonzaga in a three-game series beginning Thursday, May 16.