MALIBU, Calif. - The Pepperdine baseball team fell behind early and couldn't come back as the Waves (6-18, 2-1) fell by a final of 11-2 to the Washington Huskies (10-14, 4-5 Big Ten) on Tuesday afternoon.
"It just wasn't our day today in all three phases," said Head Coach
Tyler LaTorre. "I give credit to Washington for taking advantage of our mistakes, and we just couldn't get anything offensively to overcome our defense and pitching woes. The hope was to continue to build off this past weekend's series win on the road; however, we went down early because of free passes and miscues."
Pierson Howe opened the game for the navy blue and orange and assisted in the Huskies getting on the board in the first, tossing a wild pitch that allowed Braeden Terry to get to the dish. Catcher
Aidan Camberg couldn't find the ball, which had gone up against the backstop, and that had Colton Bower touching home from second. In the second inning, Mic Paul drove in Ty Cowan on a RBI groundout to shortstop. After two innings, it was 3-0 Huskies.
Washington extended its lead in the fourth on a productive groundball double play by Aidan Dougherty, scoring Blake Wilson. With everything seemingly going the Huskies' way, Jackson Hotchkiss blasted a home run off
Arnold Wu to make it 5-0 in the seventh. Despite the Waves having at least one runner on base through the first six innings, Pepperdine couldn't cash in a run until the seventh, when Camberg brought in
Trey Dunn on a RBI double. The Waves continued to create traffic and
Joe Cardinale ensued with a RBI double that scored Camberg. The 5-2 score would be as close as Pepperdine would get, as Washington tacked on one more in the eighth before burying the Waves with five more in the ninth.
Pepperdine's offense had been incredibly hot as of late but was tamed by the Huskies on Tuesday, only getting two hits (2-for-19) from the one through five spots in the 11-2 loss.
"It was a great crowd to honor our veterans [for the Veterans and Military Appreciation Game]," continued LaTorre. "We loved the first pitch ceremony, color guard, and a special scene in the 4th inning as both teams entered the stadium seating to shake the hands of all the service members in attendance. What a true honor to be playing in front of true American Hero's. Hoping to flush this outcome away and move onto USD this weekend."
GAME NOTES
- In what was a bullpen game for the Waves, Pepperdine used nine arms to get through the contest.
- AJ Bianchina got the start at second base today for Pepperdine and went 2-for-2 with a walk.
- Each team's pitching staff recorded six strikeouts.
- The Waves stranded seven while the Huskies left five aboard.
Pepperdine will continue its five-game homestand on Friday when the Waves welcome WCC rival San Diego to Malibu. The first 50 students will receive free Chick-Fil-A, and it is also a dollar hot dog day for the first 30 people at the concession stand.
Get your tickets here, or
watch 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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