MORAGA, Calif. - The Pepperdine baseball team fell behind early but rattled off nine runs in the final five innings to defeat Saint Mary's 9-5 on Saturday night. With the win, the Waves moved to 5-17 overall (1-1 WCC), while the Gaels fell to 12-10 overall (1-1 WCC).
"Such a great TEAM win," said Head Coach
Tyler LaTorre. "
Tommy Scavone was so good on the mound and glad that he got the win. He deserved it. He did a great job establishing his fastball and throwing his off speed to keep St. Mary's at bay. Freshman
Jack Fowler coming in, on the road, in his first taste of WCC play and doing his job was awesome as well."
Donuts were put up by each pitching staff through the first two and a half innings, but Tanner Griffith lifted a two-run home run in the bottom of the third to give Saint Mary's a 2-0 lead. Pepperdine had another slow start but got going in the fifth, as
Daniel Patterson knocked a RBI single to pull within one. The Waves tied the game in the sixth on a double play by
Nash Horton. The navy blue and orange had runners on the corners, and
Finley Buckner had no problem touching home from third to make it 2-2.
Pepperdine broke through in the seventh, taking a 3-2 lead on a sharply hit RBI single to left by
James Dell'Amico. The Waves kept rolling, as Buckner tacked on a two-RBI single to left, and Pepperdine led 5-2 at stretch time. Pepperdine wasn't done in the eighth, adding three more runs. With the bases loaded,
Shawn Romero scored on a wild pitch.
Joe Cardinale then took advantage a couple of batters later and smacked an opposite field single, easily scoring
Kai Laxa from third as Patterson scored from second.
Saint Mary's attempted to come back in the bottom of the frame, as Brayden Gutierrez knocked a single to left, which scored Makoa Sniffen.
Trey Dunn responded right away in the ninth as he annihilated his third homer of the year, putting Pepperdine back up 9-3.
"Our offense delivered inning after inning," added LaTorre. "We applied pressure and kept going to extend the lead. After falling behind 2-0, to respond to tie it and then take the lead was great to see. We showed that we can score in a lot of ways. To have
Joe Cardinale and
Trey Dunn come off the bench and produce runs is a testament to our players ability to stay focused throughout the game."
The Gaels made things interesting in the bottom of the ninth against
Jack Fowler, who was nearing his first career save. Fowler had two outs and nobody on base but gave up a double to Brett Williams, who eventually advanced on a passed ball. Sniffen worked a walk and stole second before Diego Castellanos walked on four straight pitches after a mound visit by LaTorre, prompting closer
Lucien Wechsberg to enter the game. He threw two pitches and forced a flyout to end the game, slamming the door on the Gaels as the Waves evened the series and set up a rubber match for Sunday.
"We got big hits up and down the lineup," continued LaTorre. "We stayed with a sound approach and it paid off. Sundays in college baseball with a chance to win the series, what more could you ask for!"
GAME NOTES
- Fowler was fantastic in relief of Scavone, going 2.2 innings while throwing 55 pitches. Six of the eight outs he recorded were groundouts.
- Wechsberg earned the save, his second of the season. In the Waves' five wins this season, he has two saves and two wins.
- Patterson went 3-for-3 for the Waves, driving in one and scoring two while walking twice.
- Kai Laxa cleaned up the nine-spot for Pepperdine, going 3-for-4, walking once, and scoring two runs.
- Each squad left 10 on base.
- Saint Mary's pitching surrendered eight walks to the Waves.
Pepperdine and Saint Mary's will battle in the third and final game of the series tomorrow, scheduled for 1:00 pm. The game will
air 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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