Baseball Downed by Pepperdine on Saturday

MALIBU, Calif. - Justin Lutes stroked a three-run home run in the fifth inning to break a 3-all to help Pepperdine to an 8-4 win over Santa Clara baseball on Saturday to even the West Coast Conference series at one game apiece.

Pepperdine (16-22, 8-12) who entered the game leading the conference with 46 home runs, hit their first homers of the series when Lutes and Billy Cook connected on back-to-back shots in the fifth.

With two runners on and facing Broncos reliever Alex Reelfs, Lutes sent the 1-2 offering over the right field fence for his league leading 12th home run of the season.  Cook followed with a solo shot, his 12th, to tie Lutes atop the WCC lead.  The two long balls gave the Waves a 7-3 through after five innings.  

Lutes and Cook combined to go 4-for-9, scored five runs and drove in five.  Each of their four hits were for extra base hits.  Charles Masino went 3-for-4 and drove in the only other run for the Waves.

For Santa Clara (15-28, 8-18), John Hanley supplied the power with two home runs coming off the bench.  The junior first baseman hit his first career home run in the fourth frame to put the Broncos ahead 3-2 and hit a solo shot in the ninth.  The two-run homer came off Waves starter Shane Telfer (2-0), who allowed a total of three runs over five innings to earn the win.

Brandon Llewellyn threw the next three innings allowing one run before giving way to Dane Morrow to close out the game.  The Waves trio limited the Broncos to six hits.

The Broncos used fifth pitchers with Reelfs (3-2) taking the loss.