MALIBU, Calif.- The Pepperdine baseball team fought down 0-3 to tie the game late, but could not pull off the win in extra innings.
 
In an error-less game from both teams, the Waves (5-16, 1-1) were outhit 7-11 and despite leaving less baserunners stranded, the Zags (7-13, 1-1) were able to pull out the extra-innings win with one swing of the bat in the 10th inning.
 
BIG WAVES
 
Senior infielder Justin Rubin (Bryn Mawr, Pa.) tied the game with a sac fly in the eighth, also scoring in the sixth.
 
Senior infielder Julian Nunez (Encinitas, Calif.) was .500 at the plate today, including a two-run home run in the seventh inning for his third this season.
 
Senior graduate outfielder Nick Upstill (Huntington Beach, Calif.) nailed a double into left field in the eighth inning, giving his team the opportunity to tie the game up.
 
RECAP
 
Saturday's game started eerily similar to Friday's with Pepperdine struggling on the offensive side of the ball. The first hit of the afternoon would come in the fifth inning with a single from Nunez, but he was stranded on base as the Zags led 1-0 headed to the sixth inning.
 
Gonzaga tallied two more runs off two hits in the top of the sixth to extend their lead to three. The Waves responded in the bottom half of the seventh inning and after Rubin reached on a walk, Nunez sent his third home run of the season flying over the left field wall to bring life to Pepperdine's dugout, slashing the Gonzaga lead from three to one, trailing 3-2 at the end of the inning.
 
No response from the Bulldogs in the top of the eighth gave the Waves an opportunity to continue the rally in the latter half of the inning. A double from Upstill into left put two on with one out as redshirt sophomore Joe Cardinale (Salinas, Calif.) reached on a single the at-bat prior.  With a sacrificial fly out to center field, Rubin scored Cardinale to tie the game up at 3-3.
 
A quiet ninth inning from both teams sent the game to extra innings. Swinging early in the count, the Zags were looking to put the ball in play. With one man on, Gonzaga returned the two-run homer Pepperdine hit earlier in the game, taking a 5-3 lead in the 10th inning. With one offensive outing left to respond, the Waves could not capitalize on a runner in scoring position with nobody out, stranding two in the bottom of the 10th in the 5-3 loss.
 
NEXT
 
The Waves look to take the series tomorrow at 1 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