PORTLAND, Ore. - The Pepperdine baseball team lost a closely-contested battle against the Portland Pilots Sunday afternoon in 12 innings with a final score of 7-8.
 
The Waves (9-26, 5-7) outhit the Pilots (16-20, 9-3) 13-11 and despite coming back after being down 3-6, Portland outlasted the Waves with three hits in the 12th to seal the game.
 
BIG WAVES
 
Senior infielder Justin Rubin (Bryn Mawr, Pa.) was 3-for-5 at the plate with two doubles and the single to knock in the go-ahead run in the 12th inning.
 
Freshman infielder Zach Woodson (Long Beach, Calif.) hit his first home run of the season, sending a two-run home run over the right-centerfield wall to tie the game in the eighth inning.
 
Senior infielder Julian Nunez (Encinitas, Calif.) was stellar on defense, saving the game in the 10th with a double-play while hitting .400 on the afternoon with an RBI and a walk.
 
Redshirt sophomore RHP Adam Troy (Houston, Texas) pitched a season-high 3.0 innings, securing six strikeouts with a season-ERA of 2.87.
 
RECAP
 
Pepperdine got the lead early in the first inning after Rubin knocked in Nunez who was just 90 feet away at third, advancing from first on a single by graduate outfielder Nick Upstill (Huntington Beach, Calif.) The Pilots did not match the Waves and with one inning down, the visiting team led 1-0.
 
Two by Portland in the second would snatch the lead from Pepperdine, but just as quickly as the lead was lost, the Waves took it back. Tying the game 2-2 in the third with two doubles, Pepperdine took a 3-2 lead in the fourth inning after yet another double, this time by senior DH Luke Pemberton (Boulder, Colo.). In scoring position with one out, the senior advanced to third on a fly ball to the outfield, scoring on a wild pitch for the third lead change of the afternoon as the Waves led 3-2.
 
Similar to the offensive production Friday night, the Pilots had a crooked fifth inning to give them the lead. Four runs on five hits gave the home team a 6-3 advantage with over half the game gone.
 
Chipping away, Pepperdine scored one in the seventh thanks to a single by Nunez to drive in freshman outfielder Joey Damelio (San Mateo, Calif.).
 
Heading to the eighth the Waves had six outs to find two runs. In one swing of the bat, Woodson erased the deficit with his first collegiate home run over the right-centerfield wall to score both himself and Rubin. At the end of eight, it was tied 6-6.
 
Coming in to pitch, Troy threw a perfect 3.0 innings as the game bled into extra innings. A double by Rubin in the 10th gave the Waves life, but the senior was stranded in scoring position as the game continued in a deadlock. In the latter half of the 10th, Nunez made a diving catch at third base, turning a double play to send the game to the 11th inning.
 

END 10 | Are you kidding me Nunez !?!?

Headed to the 11th #MakingWaves pic.twitter.com/pSQTSOOjk1

— Pepperdine Baseball (@PeppBaseball) April 13, 2025

No hits between the two squads in the second extra inning of baseball send the game to the 12th. Three singles by three seniors in Nunez, Upstill, and Rubin gave Pepperdine the lead as Nunez was able to score from second to give his team the 7-6 advantage heading into the bottom of the 12th inning. 
 
In the latter half of the 12th, Portland made solid contact with the ball for three hits, including a double on the right field foul line that tied the game, putting the Pilots in position to walk the game off in heart-breaking fashion 8-7.
 
NEXT
 
Back in California, Pepperdine heads to California State, Fullerton for a midweek matchup against the Titans Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ (subscription required) with live stats available at www.pepperdinewaves.com.