MALIBU, Calif. - The Pepperdine baseball team dropped the Sunday matinee game against Tulane Sunday at Eddy D. Field Stadium.
 
The Waves (3-9) stayed even with the Green Wave (8-3) the entire game, but a late ninth inning push by Tulane would give them enough separation to win as Pepperdine lost the third and final of the series 7-4.
 
BIG WAVES
 
Senior infielder Justin Rubin (Bryn Mawr, Pa.) was key defensively at shortstop for the Waves, including a pick-off play at second in the seventh inning.
 
Graduate outfielder Nick Upstill (Huntington Beach, Calif.) had two hits for the Waves, including a single in the bottom of the ninth to attempt a rally.
 
RECAP
 
Pepperdine got out to a hot start offensively in the bottom of the first inning with help from Tulane's pitching. A leadoff walk followed by freshman outfielder Brodey Bitove being hit by a pitch gave redshirt sophomore Max Bernal (Clovis, Calif.) the opportunity to load the bases with a single. Another batter being hit by a pitch would score Rubin before senior third baseman Julian Nunez would score Bitove. Before the end of the inning, Bernal scored on a wild pitch to give Pepperdine an early 3-0 lead.
 
After scoring one in the top of the second, Tulane returned the favor by having their own three-run inning in the top half of the third. Four hits, including one extra base hit, put the Green Wave up 4-3 by the end of the third inning.
 
Pepperdine tied the game at 4-4 in the bottom of the fourth with a single and a stolen base from Upstill to get him in scoring position for Rubin to get him home on a single through the right side.
 
Tulane responded immediately in the top of the fifth with a run to retake the lead 5-4. With only three hits between the two teams in the following three innings, the score remained stagnant headed into the ninth. Breaking the game open with a double into deep center, the Green Wave brought two across home plate to take a 7-4 lead with three outs to go.
 
Despite two hits, the Waves were unable to rally in the bottom half of the inning, falling short of completing the series sweep in the 7-4 loss.
 
 
NEXT
 
Pepperdine hits the road during the university's spring break week, headed down to Arizona to first face the Lopes of Grand Canyon University Tuesday. First pitched is scheduled for 5 p.m. and the game will be streamed on ESPN+ (subscription required). Lve stats can be found at  www.pepperdinewaves.com.