MALIBU, Calif. - If you wanted some drama heading into the weekend, Eddy D. Field Stadium was the place to be Friday afternoon as Pepperdine (3-14) came up short by a final of 7-4 in an extra-innings battle with UMass Lowell (6-7).

"Tommy was awesome today!" said Head Coach Tyler LaTorre following the game. "He was efficient and kept his pitch count down. He deserved a better outcome."
 
The battle started with the River Hawks taking a 1-0 lead in the top of the second on a passed ball by Waves catcher Max Aude, scoring Carlos Martinez. Pepperdine answered right away, knotting the game at one on a Dylan Osborne RBI single, in what was Osborne's fourth at-bat of the season.
 
The Navy Blue and Orange got a quality start out of Tommy Scavone, who was white-hot through six innings. He surrendered just one unearned run on a lowly 59 pitches in that timeframe before getting bit in the seventh, giving up a two-run blast to Nicholas Solorzano as UML took a 3-1 lead into the eighth. Despite the homer, Scavone's final line would include a single-game high of 7.2 innings pitched, while 20 of the 23 putouts he tallied were flyouts (11) and groundouts (9).
 
UMass Lowell would extend the lead to 4-1 in the top of the eighth frame on a wild pitch that plated Cal Chance. Daniel Patterson responded with a solo shot in the bottom of the inning that sent Pepperdine to the ninth down 4-2, and the drama began to unfold.
 
The Waves held the River Hawks scoreless in the top half before Pepperdine faced two outs and the tying run at the dish in Patterson. He pounded a ground ball to UML second baseman Rowan Masse, who botched the play, scoring Julian Nunez from second base. Danny Cook climbed into the batter's box with a chance to potentially tie the game and came through, scorching a line-drive to right field. Chance, who was in the vicinity for UML, misplayed the ball and it rolled to the wall. Chance had to dash to retrieve it, but Patterson was faster and touched home from first base to tie the game at four apiece. Max Aude grounded out to end the threat, but the Waves again came back to force extra innings.
 
The top of the 10th provided even more dramatics. With one out and two aboard for the River Hawks, Pierson Howe induced a ground ball to Kai Laxa, who tossed it to second slightly off-balance to Nunez, who whipped a throw a few feet wide left of first baseman Finley Buckner. LaTorre challenged the call at second base, as Chance didn't slide into the bag, but the call was confirmed after replay review. Home plate umpire Aaron Higgins ejected LaTorre after further dialogue, and two pitches later, Martinez skied a home run over the center field wall, putting UML back up 7-4. UMass Lowell pitching shut down the Waves in order in the bottom half, and the final score stood as 7-4.

"We keep coming back from a deficit," continued LaTorre. "It would be nice to get out to a lead here soon. UMass Lowell pitched well and played great defense today. We had our opportunities and just couldn't capitalize. The at-bats in the bottom of the ninth shows what we are capable of and the hope is we can sustain that focus up and down lineup moving forward."
 
GAME NOTES

• Patterson, James Dell'Amico, Trey Dunn, and Osborne all had two-hits for the Waves.
• Each squad had 10 hits; Pepperdine stranded 10 while UML left just four on base.
• UMass Lowell starting pitcher Alfred Mucciarone went 7.2 innings, ending his day with 108 pitches thrown.

Pepperdine wraps up its four-game series against UMass Lowell in a doubleheader tomorrow starting at 11 am. Tickets can be purchased here, and the game can also be seen on ESPN+.

ABOUT PEPPERDINE BASEBALL
Pepperdine baseball has one of the richest traditions and success stories among mid-major baseball programs in the country. The Waves won the NCAA National Championship in 1992 and have made 28 NCAA Tournament appearances in total. Located in scenic Malibu, California, Eddy D. Field Stadium boasts one of the most remarkable views in college baseball and has seen 35 former Waves reach the MLB while seeing 41 All-American selections.
 
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