MALIBU, Calif. – In a game that saw 22 runs scored in the first three innings, Santa Clara baseball dropped the finale of a three-game series at Pepperdine by a final of 19-4. With the loss the Broncos are now 8-15 overall and 0-3 in West Coast Conference play while the Waves are 13-9 and 5-1 in conference play.
The Broncos will return to the field on Thur., March 28 at 11 a.m. in the first game of a doubleheader at Portland.
Reece Karalus (0-5, 9.58) picked up the loss while throwing 2.0 innings in the start. Karalus allowed 11 runs, seven earned, on 11 hits with no walks and no strikeouts. Casey Munoz led the offense by going 3-5 with a run scored while Drew Ozanne was 2-3 after coming in as a pinch-hitter. Kyle DeMerritt was 1-3 with a double and three RBI and Matt Ozanne added a run scored and a RBI.
Aaron Brown (2-1, 5.89) picked up the win for the Waves while starting and throwing 5.0 innings. Brown allowed four runs on seven hits with three walks and seven strikeouts. The Waves posted 21 hits and were led by a 4-5 day from Chris Amezquita who had a home run, two runs scored and four RBI. Ranny Lowe was 3-6 with two runs scored and three RBI while Austin Davidson was 3-5 with five runs scored and two RBI to go along with a home run.
Davidson hit a one-out double to right center and moved to third on a throwing error by the third baseman that put two on with one out in the bottom of the first. Bryan Langlois laid down a bunt single to put the Waves up 1-0 and Kolten Yamaguchi followed with a single to right to make the score 2-0 Pepperdine after one inning.
Santa Clara was able to take a lead in the top of the second. Munoz led off with a double down the right field line and T.J. Braff followed with a single up the middle to put runners on the corners. Braff stole second and M. Ozanne walked to load the bases. DeMerritt cleared the bases with a double to center to make the score 3-2 Broncos.
After a quick out to lead off the bottom of the second, Amezquita doubled and Davidson followed with a home run to center to put the Waves back on top 4-3. Back-to-back hit by pitches and a single through the right side loaded the bases before a line out to left for the second out of the inning. Pepperdine followed with six two-out runs to take a 10-3 lead after two innings.
Quinton Perry led off the top of the third with a walk and Munoz singled to center to put two on with no one out. Braff hit into a fielder's choice to put runners on the corners and M. Ozanne singled to left to make the score 10-4.
Pepperdine posted its second consecutive eight-run inning in the bottom of the third to make the score 18-4. The Waves used eight hits, including three doubles and a three-run bomb by Amezquita, to blow the game open.
Pepperdine added a run in the bottom of the eighth and Santa Clara put runners on the corners in the ninth but it wasn't enough and the Waves came away with a 19-4 victory.