The Pepperdine baseball team could not have asked for a more exciting finish to its 2009 season opener against Cal State Northridge on Friday.
With Pepperdine trailing 3-2 in the bottom of the 9th senior outfielder Nate Simon stepped to the plate and rocketed a pitch over the centerfield wall for a 3-3 tie and his second home run of the game. After a pitching change by the Matadors Pepperdine’s next batter senior infielder Denny Duron lined a pitch over the left field fence for a 4-3 walk-off victory.
Pepperdine has now won nine straight season openers and 11 of its last 13.
The Waves scored their first two runs in the bottom of the 4th when Simon slugged his first home run a two-run shot to left field.
Senior starter Nathan Newman pitched well enough to get the win allowing just 2 runs on 3 hits in 8 innings of work but he left the game with the score tied at 2. In the top of the 9th junior reliever Bryce Uhrig surrendered a home run to put Northridge ahead 3-2. But this set the stage for the climactic bottom half of the inning.
The Waves and Matadors will continue their three-game series at 1 p.m. tomorrow at Northridge. Sophomore Scott Alexander who went 7-4 with a 4.95 ERA in 2008 will take the hill for Pepperdine against Northridge’s Ryan Juarez.