NORTHRIDGE, Calif. - An early lead couldn't be held as the Pepperdine baseball team fell 12-1 to CSUN on Monday night. The Waves fell to 3-12 overall on the season while the Matadors improved to 10-6.
 
"Disappointed in tonight's outcome," stated Head Coach Tyler LaTorre after the contest. "Two big innings that were filled with free bases. Seems to be a common theme that we need to fix and we will. Offensively, we scored first, but we really didn't show up with that competitive edge to win tonight. We are back home for our final non-conference weekend and I am looking forward to how we continue to move forward to conference play."
 
The aforementioned Pepperdine score occurred in the third inning, as the Waves piled up traffic on the basepaths. Shawn Romero singled and a few batters later, Julian Nunez worked a two-out walk. Finley Buckner was hit by a pitch which set up a golden opportunity for freshman James Dell'Amico. The Los Angeles native saw four consecutive pitches outside the strike zone and was credited with a RBI on his walk as Romero touched home. Joshua Woodworth stepped to the dish still with the bases loaded but pounded a ground ball to the third base bag to end the inning.
 
Things would unfortunately go south for the Waves in the bottom of the third as CSUN put a five-spot on Pepperdine. Jack Fowler entered from the bullpen in relief for opener Pierson Howe, who was solid in two innings in what was his second career start. Fowler would surrender three doubles before Austin Plisinski came in and immediately gave up a RBI single to Matador's catcher Jehee Lee.
 
It remained a 5-1 deficit for the navy blue and orange halfway through the contest until CSUN tacked on seven more runs in the bottom half of the fifth. All seven runs were scored with two outs, starting with a two-RBI double by Trent Abel before the Matadors juiced the bases for Kyle Panganiban, who skied a grand slam over the left-center field wall. His homer extended CSUN's lead to 12-1, which would stand as the final score after seven innings.
 
Pepperdine is back in action Thursday afternoon at 3:00 pm as the Waves will welcome UMass Lowell to Malibu for a four-game set. The series will conclude with a doubleheader on Saturday. The homestand features several mouth-watering promotions, including dollar hot dogs on Thursday and free Prince Street Pizza for the first 100 students on Friday, before another series of trading card packs being given away on Saturday. Fans can purchase tickets here. Due to a lack of shade at Eddy D. Field Stadium, spectators are highly encouraged to bring umbrellas with forecasted highs in the mid-to-upper 80s all weekend.
 
GAME NOTES

• Romero had two hits for Pepperdine.
• The Waves left nine on base, while CSUN stranded five.

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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For more information and to purchase tickets to upcoming home events, visit here.
 
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