Tuesday, April 21
Malibu, Calif.
3:00 p.m. PT
Pepperdine University
14-26
6
vs
3
Cal Poly
21-18
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cal Poly Mustangs | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 11 | 0 |
| Pepperdine | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | X | 6 | 12 | 1 |
Photo by: Greg Bintz
Baseball Gets Back in Win Column With Victory Over Cal Poly
4/21/2026 9:27:00 PM | Baseball
MALIBU, Calif. - The Pepperdine baseball team (14-26, 8-7 WCC) bounced back from Sunday's loss at LMU with a fashionable 6-3 victory over Cal Poly (21-18, 12-6 Big West) on Tuesday afternoon.
"Big midweek win against a great program in Cal Poly," said Head Coach Tyler LaTorre. "One of our preseason goals this year was to have a winning record at home in midweek games and we achieved that goal today! It was a complete team win. Started on the mound with our pitchers holding a very potent offense to only three runs. We played very solid defense as well. Each pitcher stuck to their strengths and executed their pitches."
The Mustangs took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning on a Gavin Spiridonoff sac fly that plated Casey Murray, Junior. Left-hander Jack Fowler got the start, his second career, for the Waves in a bullpen game and did well in three innings of work, allowing just that one run on a pair of hits. He walked none and struck out three Mustangs.
Pepperdine gave Fowler and the rest of the Waves pitching staff some support in the bottom of the third by consistently putting the ball in play. Danny Cook led off the inning with a single before Kai Laxa lined a single back up the middle. A Julian Nunez single two pitches later loaded the bases, as Cook and Laxa went station-to-station, setting up for James Dell'Amico. The freshman took the count full on Cal Poly starter Sean McGrath and the baton was passed to Joshua Woodworth, who was coming off a performance last week where he hit .500 in 18 at-bats with five extra base-hits. The freshman needed only four pitches to drive in four runs, blasting a fastball to dead center that kept on carrying in the cooler-than-normal Malibu air. His grand slam was the second home run in the last four games, and it gave the Waves a 4-1 advantage.
"On offense, we had a consistent approach that led to constant hard contact all game," added LaTorre. "We had two big blasts in Woodworth's grand slam, which was a huge two-out momentum changing swing. The other was Julian Nunez's solo shot that responded to Cal Poly scoring."
Pepperdine's bullpen held it down with four consecutive scoreless innings to end the game. Lucien Wechsberg came in for the ninth and, with exception to a base hit, pitched a clean frame for his sixth save of the season.
"Hopefully we can continue to build off of the past four games and head to Seattle to compete and elevate our program," added LaTorre.
GAME NOTES
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.
TICKETS
For more information and to purchase tickets to upcoming home events, visit here.
FOLLOW
To stay up-to-date on the latest Pepperdine baseball news, follow the Waves on social media @PepperdineBASE.
"Big midweek win against a great program in Cal Poly," said Head Coach Tyler LaTorre. "One of our preseason goals this year was to have a winning record at home in midweek games and we achieved that goal today! It was a complete team win. Started on the mound with our pitchers holding a very potent offense to only three runs. We played very solid defense as well. Each pitcher stuck to their strengths and executed their pitches."
The Mustangs took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning on a Gavin Spiridonoff sac fly that plated Casey Murray, Junior. Left-hander Jack Fowler got the start, his second career, for the Waves in a bullpen game and did well in three innings of work, allowing just that one run on a pair of hits. He walked none and struck out three Mustangs.
Pepperdine gave Fowler and the rest of the Waves pitching staff some support in the bottom of the third by consistently putting the ball in play. Danny Cook led off the inning with a single before Kai Laxa lined a single back up the middle. A Julian Nunez single two pitches later loaded the bases, as Cook and Laxa went station-to-station, setting up for James Dell'Amico. The freshman took the count full on Cal Poly starter Sean McGrath and the baton was passed to Joshua Woodworth, who was coming off a performance last week where he hit .500 in 18 at-bats with five extra base-hits. The freshman needed only four pitches to drive in four runs, blasting a fastball to dead center that kept on carrying in the cooler-than-normal Malibu air. His grand slam was the second home run in the last four games, and it gave the Waves a 4-1 advantage.
The Mustangs answered in the fifth, plating two on a Spiridonoff RBI triple, followed by a RBi single from Jake Downing to pull Cal Poly back within one, 4-3. Nunez stopped any momentum the Mustangs had with a solo shot in the bottom of the frame, extending the Pepperdine lead back to 5-3. Laxa added a RBI single to center in the sixth for some insurance, and the Waves never looked back.Jack Fowler today as the opener:
— Pepperdine Baseball (@PepperdineBASE) April 21, 2026
🔥 three innings
🔥 two hits
🔥 no walks
🔥 three strikeouts#MakeWaves | @PepperdineWaves pic.twitter.com/6azy67lkbt
"On offense, we had a consistent approach that led to constant hard contact all game," added LaTorre. "We had two big blasts in Woodworth's grand slam, which was a huge two-out momentum changing swing. The other was Julian Nunez's solo shot that responded to Cal Poly scoring."
Pepperdine's bullpen held it down with four consecutive scoreless innings to end the game. Lucien Wechsberg came in for the ninth and, with exception to a base hit, pitched a clean frame for his sixth save of the season.
"Hopefully we can continue to build off of the past four games and head to Seattle to compete and elevate our program," added LaTorre.
GAME NOTES
- Cal Poly stranded eight, while Pepperdine left seven on base.
- The Waves recorded two walks, but the pitching staff did not walk any Mustangs.
- Pepperdine had a slight edge in the hits department, 12-11.
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.
TICKETS
For more information and to purchase tickets to upcoming home events, visit here.
FOLLOW
To stay up-to-date on the latest Pepperdine baseball news, follow the Waves on social media @PepperdineBASE.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Croghan, Kam (2-0)
L: McGrath, Sean (2-3)
S: Wechsberg, Lucien (6)
Batting:
2B: Kordic, Dylan 1 ; McLaurin, Xander 1
3B: Spiridonoff, Gavin 1
RBI: Downing, Jake 1 ; Spiridonoff, Gavin 2
SH: Castellon, Nate 1
SF: Spiridonoff, Gavin 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Murray Jr., Casey 1 ; Spiridonoff, Gavin 1 ; McLaurin, Xander 1
HBP: Kordic, Dylan 1
Batting:
2B: Dunn, Trey 1
HR: Nunez, Julian 1 ; Woodworth, Joshua 1
RBI: Laxa, Kai 1 ; Nunez, Julian 1 ; Woodworth, Joshua 4
Base Running:
RUNS: Laxa, Kai 1 ; Nunez, Julian 2 ; Woodworth, Joshua 1 ; Cook, Danny 2
SB: Camberg, Aidan 1 ; Horton, Nash 1 ; Woodworth, Joshua 1 ; Cook, Danny 1
Game Leaders
AB
4
R
2
H
3
RBI
1
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
4
AB
4
R
2
H
2
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
INF
/ Baseball
1B/OF
/ Baseball
OF/LHP
/ BaseballINF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ BaseballINF/RHP
/ Baseball
