Tuesday, March 3
San Luis Obispo, Calif.
5:05 p.m. PT
Pepperdine University
2-9
2
at
12
Cal Poly
5-7
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pepperdine | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 2 |
| Cal Poly | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 4 | X | 12 | 12 | 1 |
Photo by: Greg Bintz
Baseball Falls to Cal Poly
3/3/2026 10:16:00 PM | Baseball
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. - A good start turned into an unraveling for the Pepperdine baseball team as the Waves (2-9) dropped its contest to Cal Poly (5-7) on Tuesday night at Baggett Stadium.
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"The final score was not indicative of how close that game was," commented Head Coach Tyler LaTorre after the contest. "Going into the bottom of the seventh tied 2-2 and to see the final score the way it was is disheartening for me because our players deserve better. Cal Poly is a great program and they took advantage in that seventh inning. Pierson Howe gave us 3 great innings to start, and I was pleased with [Kam] Croghan, [Jackson] Pace, and [Gabe] Maya coming in and keeping the game tied."
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Pepperdine got on the board early thanks to Danny Cook, who scalded a RBI double down the right field line that brushed up against the wall. Trey Dunn touched home from second base and it was 1-0 Waves. Cal Poly had an answer in the bottom of the frame on a productive groundout to shortstop from Dante Vachini, bringing in Ryan Tayman.
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In the third, Daniel Patterson gave Pepperdine the lead again on a majestic home run over the left field wall, his team-leading third of the young season and second blast in the last four days. Once again, the Mustangs responded in the bottom of the third as Cal Poly was able to get some traffic against Waves starter Pierson Howe, who was making his first collegiate start. Alejandro Garza lifted a deep sacrifice fly ball to right, scoring Gavin Spiridonoff and the game was knotted at two.
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The score remained the same through the seventh inning stretch until everything fell apart for Pepperdine in the bottom half. Winston Peterson came in from the bullpen for the Waves, replacing Gabe Maya, and induced a ground ball to second baseman AJ Bianchina, but he couldn't field it cleanly. The Mustangs took advantage of the error and got a game-tying RBI single from Garza before Casey Murray, Jr. roped a two-RBI triple, and Cal Poly took a 4-2 advantage.
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"We just didn't do anything offensively after the third inning," stated LaTorre. "I will give Cal Poly a lot of credit, they pounded the strike zone and we didn't make enough of an adjustment to mitigate what they were doing on the mound. As soon as we made one mistake on defense, unfortunately, for us Cal Poly pounced on that opportunity and seized the game."
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There was no looking back as the Mustangs rattled off 11 unanswered runs by the end of the contest, putting a six spot on the board in the seventh before tacking on four more in the eighth. Between the two innings, three walks surrendered by the Waves' bullpen and a hit by pitch aided in three runs being scored and after the error, three of the six runs scored by Cal Poly in the seventh came across unearned.
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"We have them two more times this year and I'm excited to compete against them again, but for now, our focus goes to Thursday when we host a very good Michigan team," LaTorre continued.
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Fans can witness the upcoming three-game series, which is Thursday through Saturday, against the Wolverines in-person by purchasing tickets here. The first 30 fans on Thursday can purchase hot dogs for just one dollar, while attendees will be treated to a trading card pack giveaway on Saturday before kids can run the bases postgame on Saturday.
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GAME NOTES
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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TICKETS
For more information and to purchase tickets to upcoming home events, visit here.
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FOLLOW
To stay up-to-date on the latest Pepperdine baseball news, follow the Waves on social media @PepperdineBASE.
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"The final score was not indicative of how close that game was," commented Head Coach Tyler LaTorre after the contest. "Going into the bottom of the seventh tied 2-2 and to see the final score the way it was is disheartening for me because our players deserve better. Cal Poly is a great program and they took advantage in that seventh inning. Pierson Howe gave us 3 great innings to start, and I was pleased with [Kam] Croghan, [Jackson] Pace, and [Gabe] Maya coming in and keeping the game tied."
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Pepperdine got on the board early thanks to Danny Cook, who scalded a RBI double down the right field line that brushed up against the wall. Trey Dunn touched home from second base and it was 1-0 Waves. Cal Poly had an answer in the bottom of the frame on a productive groundout to shortstop from Dante Vachini, bringing in Ryan Tayman.
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In the third, Daniel Patterson gave Pepperdine the lead again on a majestic home run over the left field wall, his team-leading third of the young season and second blast in the last four days. Once again, the Mustangs responded in the bottom of the third as Cal Poly was able to get some traffic against Waves starter Pierson Howe, who was making his first collegiate start. Alejandro Garza lifted a deep sacrifice fly ball to right, scoring Gavin Spiridonoff and the game was knotted at two.
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The score remained the same through the seventh inning stretch until everything fell apart for Pepperdine in the bottom half. Winston Peterson came in from the bullpen for the Waves, replacing Gabe Maya, and induced a ground ball to second baseman AJ Bianchina, but he couldn't field it cleanly. The Mustangs took advantage of the error and got a game-tying RBI single from Garza before Casey Murray, Jr. roped a two-RBI triple, and Cal Poly took a 4-2 advantage.
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"We just didn't do anything offensively after the third inning," stated LaTorre. "I will give Cal Poly a lot of credit, they pounded the strike zone and we didn't make enough of an adjustment to mitigate what they were doing on the mound. As soon as we made one mistake on defense, unfortunately, for us Cal Poly pounced on that opportunity and seized the game."
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There was no looking back as the Mustangs rattled off 11 unanswered runs by the end of the contest, putting a six spot on the board in the seventh before tacking on four more in the eighth. Between the two innings, three walks surrendered by the Waves' bullpen and a hit by pitch aided in three runs being scored and after the error, three of the six runs scored by Cal Poly in the seventh came across unearned.
Â
"We have them two more times this year and I'm excited to compete against them again, but for now, our focus goes to Thursday when we host a very good Michigan team," LaTorre continued.
Â
Fans can witness the upcoming three-game series, which is Thursday through Saturday, against the Wolverines in-person by purchasing tickets here. The first 30 fans on Thursday can purchase hot dogs for just one dollar, while attendees will be treated to a trading card pack giveaway on Saturday before kids can run the bases postgame on Saturday.
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GAME NOTES
- Pierson Howe limited damage in his first collegiate start for Pepperdine, allowing two runs (both earned) on two hits in 3.0 innings of work. He tossed 45 pitches and induced four flyouts and three groundouts.
- Kam Croghan continued his good start to the 2026 campaign, throwing a scoreless fourth inning in relief of Howe.
- Patterson picked up where he left off in the Yale series, going 2-for-4 at the dish with a RBI and a run scored.
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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TICKETS
For more information and to purchase tickets to upcoming home events, visit here.
Â
FOLLOW
To stay up-to-date on the latest Pepperdine baseball news, follow the Waves on social media @PepperdineBASE.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Morano, Josh (2-0)
L: Peterson, Winston (0-1)
Batting:
2B: Dunn, Trey 1 ; Cook, Danny 1
HR: Patterson, Daniel 1
RBI: Patterson, Daniel 1 ; Cook, Danny 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Dunn, Trey 1 ; Patterson, Daniel 1
Batting:
2B: Vachini, Dante 1 ; Castellon, Nate 1 ; Spiridonoff, Gavin 2
3B: Murray Jr., Casey 1 ; Castro, Antonio 1 ; Tayman, Ryan 1
RBI: Murray Jr., Casey 2 ; Garza, Alejandro 1 ; Vachini, Dante 1 ; Castro, Antonio 3 ; Spiridonoff, Gavin 2 ; Tayman, Ryan 1 ; McLaurin, Xander 1 ; Meli, Owen 1
SF: Garza, Alejandro 1 ; McLaurin, Xander 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Murray Jr., Casey 1 ; Downing, Jake 1 ; Garza, Alejandro 1 ; Vachini, Dante 2 ; Castellon, Nate 1 ; Spiridonoff, Gavin 1 ; Tayman, Ryan 3 ; Thomas, Braxton 1 ; Meli, Owen 1
HBP: Thomas, Braxton 2
Players Mentioned
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LHP
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