MALIBU, Calif. - It wasn't that long ago when the San Diego Toreros were picked to win the West Coast Conference this season. On Sunday afternoon at Eddy D. Field Stadium, the Pepperdine baseball team reminded everyone that it's anyone's conference with a 7-4 series-clinching victory over the Toreros.
Pepperdine improved to 8-19 overall (4-2 WCC) while USD fell to 9-17 overall (2-4 WCC).
After dropping game one on Friday, the Waves outscored San Diego 10-4 in the last 18 innings and held USD scoreless in 15 of them.
Kai Laxa capped a tremendous weekend at the dish by going 3-for-4 and scoring two runs, which extended Pepperdine's lead late in the game both times.
"Huge series win!" said Head Coach
Tyler LaTorre following the victory. "To finish off another conference weekend with a win on Sunday says a lot about players resiliency. It started in the first inning with
Collin Valentine going one, two, three, and
Trey Dunn doing it again, like yesterday, with a big three-run homer to get us on the board first."
Dylan Stewart earned his first win of the 2026 campaign following Sunday's victory after shoving five scoreless innings out of the bullpen, going the distance after relieving starter
Collin Valentine at the beginning of the fifth.
"The story of the day was the dominance of
Dylan Stewart out of the bullpen. He was poised, focused, and determined to put our team in a position to win. That's exactly what he did. "We came back after giving up a lead and then extended the lead which is a testament to the growth of our players' commitment to each other on never giving up and believing in their will to win."
The Waves wasted no time getting on the scoreboard, getting two aboard before
Trey Dunn sent an oppo taco over the videoboard in right field, making it 3-0 Pepperdine in the first.
San Diego continued to pepper Valentine and cracked the scoreboard in the second inning on a Connor Meidroth RBI single to pull within two at 3-1. In the third, CJ Morgan delivered a long RBI single to deep left field. Off the bat, it looked like a potential fly ball which forced both runners to freeze before the ball caromed off the wall. Andrew Gauna ensued with a RBI double that tied the game before the Toreros took a 4-3 advantage on a Phoenix Brandt RBI double to right-center.
USD would slowly go down quietly the rest of the way as Pepperdine answered back in the fifth with a
Julian Nunez sacrifice fly that tied the game at four once
Danny Cook touched home. With two out and
Daniel Patterson on second base,
James Dell'Amico ripped a first-pitch fastball down the left field line, bringing in Patterson and giving the Waves the lead again at 5-4.
Pepperdine would tack on insurance runs in the sixth and seventh innings as Laxa played a big role in extending the lead. He led off the sixth with a single before sprinting home all the way from first as
Max Aude golfed a RBI double into the right field corner. In the seventh, Laxa smashed a two-out double and then touched home on a RBI single by Cook to bring Pepperdine's lead to 7-4.
Closer Lucien Weschberg was ready in the bullpen if things went south in the top of the ninth, but he wasn't needed as Stewart slammed the door on the Toreros with a strikeout, and the Waves won by the final score of 7-4. Pepperdine has now won four of its last six games and sit in a tie for third place in the conference with Gonzaga as of this publishing.
GAME NOTES
- The Waves had a slight edge over USD in hits (11-10) and walks (3-2).
- Pepperdine stranded nine while San Diego left six on base.
- Of the five Toreros pitchers that tallied an appearance, the Waves scored at least one run off of four of them.
Pepperdine will conclude its five-game homestand with a rematch against CSUN on Tuesday at 3:00 pm.
Secure your tickets here and enjoy two-for-Tuesday specials, including 2-for-1 tickets, $2 popcorn, $hot dogs, and $2 sodas. The game will also stream
live 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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