MALIBU, Calif.- The Pepperdine baseball team threw six different pitchers in the two-game series opener against the University of Nebraska.
 
The Waves (4-15) rallied in the seventh to cut a six-run deficit in half but relief pitching from the Huskers (8-11) cut the comeback short in the remaining two innings as Pepperdine fell 6-9. 
 
BIG WAVES
 
Freshman catcher Esteban Sepulveda (Lancaster, Calif.) had a hit and the first RBI of the afternoon, averaging .448 on the season.
 
Redshirt sophomore Max Bernal (Clovis, Calif.) hit his first home run of the season, leading the team with three RBIs, tallying two hits and one run as well.
 
Senior shortstop Justin Rubin (Bryn Mawr, Pa.) started the rally in the sixth, scoring two on a double, hitting .500 in the afternoon.
 
 
RECAP
 
After a scoreless first inning, the Huskers jumped on the board first, scoring four between the second and third innings to take a 4-0 lead over the Waves.
 
After a fifth run by Nebraska in the fourth, Pepperdine responded in the bottom half of the inning and Sepulveda had the first RBI of the game, knocking in Rubin after he was hit by a pitch. Just under halfway through nine, Pepperdine trailed Nebraska 1-5.
 
In a career-high 3.1 innings pitched, freshman Ryan Rios (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.) was on the mound in the fifth, sending them down in order with the help of a pick-off after a single. Adding one more in the bottom half of the fifth, graduate Nick Upstill (Huntington Beach, Calif.) was brought home by redshirt sophomore Joe Cardinale (Salinas, Calif.) who singled up the middle to cut the deficit to three runs, down 2-5 with four innings to go.
 
The Huskers would put up a single-inning high of four runs in the sixth to break away from the Waves, up 9-2 in the middle of the sixth. Bernal's first home run of the season was a solo shot in half of the inning, bringing the score to 3-9 with a third of the game to go.

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Nebraska's offense would slope off, putting up zeros for the remainder of the game. Three hits by Pepperdine, including back-to-back doubles by Rubin and Bernal would score three in the seventh, giving the Waves life for the following two innings.
 
No baserunners in the eighth put everything on the final three outs. A walk and Rubin's second hit of the day put two on with the tying run in the batter's box. With an experienced relief pitcher on the mound, the Huskers got the final two outs with no additional damage done, escaping with the 9-6 win over the Waves.
 
 
NEXT
 
Pepperdine's second and final game against the Huskers is tomorrow at 3 p.m. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ (subscription required), live stats can be found at  www.pepperdinewaves.com and tickets can be purchased at www.tickets.pepperdinewaves.com