The Pepperdine baseball team stayed even with the Dirtbags all game, losing 3-2 with the third LBSU run scored in the final inning.
The Waves (0-7) went toe-to-toe with Long Beach State (4-3) but three hits in the top of the ninth gave the Dirtbags the edge needed to pull out the 3-2 win.
BIG WAVES
Senior infielder
Justin Rubin (Bryn Mawr, Pa.) hit a leadoff double in the first, kickstarting the offense to get Pepperdine on the board first.
Redshirt sophomore infielder
Max Bernal (Clovis, Calif.) got the other extra bases hit on the afternoon with a double, posting an on base percentage of .900.
Freshman outfielder
Brodey Bitove (Toronto, Ontario, Canada) hit a single in the bottom of the eighth to score the second run of the afternoon.
RECAP
Pepperdine jumped out in front first, as Rubin hit a leadoff double to start the game offensively for the Waves. A sacrificial bunt and fly ball would score the Pennsylvania native for an early 1-0 lead.
The Dirtbags responded immediately with a run in the top of the second, tying the game at 1-1. The score would hold through the third and fourth innings as Pepperdine stranded two through the two innings. Two walks and a balk by Pepperdine allowed LBSU to score, taking a 2-1 lead by the end of the fifth.
With three left stranded in the next two innings, the Waves were not able to respond, but the defense locked down to keep the Dirtbags lead at just one. In the bottom of the eighth, Pepperdine was able to break through and senior infielder
Julian Nunez (Encinitas, Calif.) who reached by getting hit by a pitch, was able to score on freshman Bitove's single up the middle to tie things at 2-2.
Responding immediately, Long Beach State tacked on a run in the top of the ninth to retake the lead. Pepperdine ran out of time to answer and without a run scored in the bottom half of the inning, the Waves lost narrowly 3-2.
NEXT
The baseball team finishes out the Tony Gwynn Legacy Tournament tomorrow, playing San Diego State at 5:00 p.m. Stats will be available at www.pepperdinewaves.com