MALIBU – Pepperdine scored five runs with two outs in the bottom of the eighth to turn a two-run deficit into a 9-6 victory on Tuesday afternoon at Eddy D. Field Stadium.
The Waves (4-4) snapped a four-game losing streak with the win, while Santa Barbara has a three-game losing skid.
The Waves, who had loaded the bases at various times throughout the game, finally struck through with a bases-loaded walk and consecutive two-run singles against right-hander Bryce Uhrig. The Santa Barbara native relieved Nick Capito with the bases full and two outs in the eighth inning and worked ahead to an 0-2 count on Trent Diedrich.
But, Diedrich worked a walk before Joe Sever’s single and Sam Meyer’s single did in the Gauchos.
UCSB (3-3) loaded the bases in the ninth inning with nobody out after John Vaccaro, Brandon Trinkwon and Ben Edelstein all singled. However Vaccaro tried to score on Sean Williams’ flyball out and was cut down at the plate. Joe Wallace grounded out to end the game.
Mark Haddow went 2-for-3 with a double, a run and an RBI for the Gauchos while Edelstein added two hits. Ryan Palermo had a pair of RBI on a sacrifice fly and a run-scoring single.
UCSB scored three runs in the fourth inning to take a 3-1 lead when Wallace walked and moved to second on Haddow’s single. Then, Pepperdine starting pitcher Alex Najera threw a pickoff attempt away, scoring Wallace and moving Haddow to third, who scored on Palermo’s sac fly.
Lance Roenicke later reached on an error and Dan Camou’s triple scored him.
After the Waves scored three runs in the fifth inning – without a ball leaving the infield on a couple of fielder’s choice ground balls and an infield hit – UCSB tacked on two more in the sixth inning.
Palermo’s single scored Haddow and Roenicke’s single scored Palermo as UCSB built its lead to 5-4. The Gauchos added a run in the seventh on Haddow’s sac fly and led 6-4 heading into the bottom of the eighth when everything unraveled.
Head coach Bob Brontsema was ejected in the fourth inning arguing with home plate umpire Dwayne Finley that Trevor Whyte was hit by a pitch.
Finley ruled that the pitch hit Whyte’s bat and Brontsema, who had Whyte show Finley the mark on his arm, argued against the call.
UCSB hosts Sacramento State in a three-game series beginning on Friday at 2 p.m. at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium.
