MORAGA, Calif. - Statement made! The Pepperdine baseball team rolled into Moraga this weekend and won Sunday's rubber match in remarkable fashion, 7-1, taking the series from the Saint Mary's Gaels. The Gaels were projected to finish third in the conference this season and won the conference tournament last year.

With the win, Pepperdine moved to 6-17 overall (2-1 WCC), while the Gaels fell to 12-11 (1-2 WCC).
 
"Had a great week of baseball for our program!" said Head Coach Tyler LaTorre after the contest. "To go and play like we did against UCLA, and now to take a conference series on the road at Saint Mary's is a huge step in the right direction."
 
Collin Valentine was nothing short of electric, as Saint Mary's had just five hits in 6.0 innings against Valentine. He struck out just two but only walked one and forced the Waves' defense to work, inducing nine flyouts and six groundouts. Dylan Stewart relieved Valentine in the seventh and mowed down the Gaels, surrendering only three hits (two of which with two outs in the ninth) and one run (earned) in three innings, saving the Pepperdine bullpen while recording his first career save.
 
"Everything started today with Collin Valentine on the mound," continued LaTorre. "He competed masterfully against a great hitting team in Saint Mary's. For Collin to give us six shutout innings and be able to hand the ball to Dylan Stewart to finish the game was just what we needed."
 
The Waves cracked the scoreboard first in the third inning, as Julian Nunez lifted a sacrifice fly to right, bringing in Max Aude. Aude had doubled to start the inning before advancing to third on a Kai Laxa single. It didn't take long for Laxa to score, as Daniel Patterson went upstairs and got a hold of a fastball on the first pitch he saw, watching it fly over the left field wall to make it 3-0 Waves.

To the track, to the wall, GOODBYE!!!👋@Daniel_P_27 crushes his second homer of the series and team-leading sixth of the season!

Waves 3, Gaels 0 | MID 3#MakeWaves | @PepperdineWaves pic.twitter.com/plqtfJ1Ccj

— Pepperdine Baseball (@PepperdineBASE) March 22, 2026

"For us offensively, it was back to back days of scoring inning after inning," added LaTorre. "Scoring first with a sacrifice fly by Julian Nunez and then a big blast by Daniel Patterson set the tone for us, and then we just added on from there."
 
Pepperdine would tack on another run in the fourth on a no-doubt, sky-scraping shot from Joshua Woodworth to extend the lead to 4-0. Trey Dunn and Aude followed with consecutive singles a few batters later, chasing Gaels starter Jake Hilton out of the game. In the fifth, the Waves put more traffic on the basepaths. James Dell'Amico reached on an error, Finley Buckner singles, and Woodworth walked before Nash Horton brought home Dell'Amico on a sac fly, making it 5-0.
 
The Waves ballooned the lead to 7-0 in the sixth on another error from Gaels reliever Cam Staton, scoring Patterson and Nunez. Micah Nicholson had a RBI single in the bottom of the ninth for Saint Mary's, but Pepperdine never looked back in the 7-1 victory.
 
"We continue to make strides in all three phases of the game," LaTorre said. "Our pitchers had a great week of minimizing big innings, our defense is playing on their toes and as a unit, and our offense is working together to manufacture runs consistently. We have another big week to continue our growth as a program with the University of Washington coming on Tuesday, and USD at home this upcoming weekend."
 
GAME NOTES

• The Waves left nine on base, while Saint Mary's stranded seven.
• Buckner, Woodworth, Horton, and Aude all had two-hit games for Pepperdine.
• The win marked consecutive victories for the first time this season for the Waves. 

Pepperdine will welcome the Washington Huskies to Malibu on Tuesday. First pitch is scheduled for 12:30 pm pacific time. The Waves will return to WCC action next weekend when the San Diego Toreros visit Eddy D. Field Stadium.

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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