JANE LEE
Assistant Sports Editor
The Pepperdine baseball team had some unexpected struggles this past weekend, dropping two of three to Fresno State but then looked like a top-ranked team two days later as it grabbed a victory over No.-15 Long Beach State.
In Friday’s opener, the Waves looked like the team that some consider able to reach the College World Series, as sophomore center fielder Adrian Ortiz equaled career-highs with three hits and three runs scored. On the mound, senior left-hander Paul Coleman allowed just two runs over seven innings to lead Pepperdine to a 7-2 victory over Fresno State.
Ortiz, the Waves’ offensive spark from the leadoff spot, was part of Pepperdine’s 12-hit attack. Senior second baseman David Uribes, junior designated hitter Michael Beattie and sophomore shortstop Danny Worth tallied two hits apiece in helping Pepperdine improve to 3-1 on the season.
The Waves’ scoring began with a pair of unearned runs in the third inning. After Ortiz singled with two outs, Uribes reached on a two-base error by Bulldogs shortstop Christian Vitters that put runners on first and second.
Junior All-American catcher Chad Tracy followed with a single to score Ortiz and Uribes and give Pepperdine a 2-0 lead.
The Waves expanded their lead with a three-run fifth inning to increase their advantage to 5-0.
Coleman (1-0), the 2005 West Coast Conference Pitcher of the Year, allowed just two runs on four hits while walking one and striking out seven to earn his first victory of the season.
The only time the Bulldogs broke through against Coleman came in the sixth inning when Kent Sakamoto hit an RBI single, and then again in the seventh when Beau Mills hit a home run to make it 5-2.
The Waves’ final two runs came in the eighth on a solo home run by Worth and an RBI single by Uribes.
Riding into Saturday’s contest on a two-game winning streak, the Waves came out swinging early, but Fresno State’s bats had some key hitting in the late innings to grab a 9-8 come-from-behind victory over Pepperdine.
The Bulldogs’ Mills doubled off Waves reliever Robert Della Grotta (0-1) to drive home the winning run in the ninth to even the series at a game a piece.
Pepperdine grabbed an early 4-0 lead after scoring three times in the first and adding a single run in the top of the second against starter Eddie Romero.
Sophomore right-hander Barry Enright started for the Waves and allowed six runs on eight hits while walking one and striking out four in four innings. The long ball did him in as he surrendered a three-run home run in the second and then a two-run shot in the fourth that gave Fresno State its first lead of the day with a 5-4 advantage.
The Bulldogs added a run in the fourth to take a 6-4 lead before the Waves came back to tie the score at six in the fifth.
Fresno State tacked on a run in the bottom half of the fifth before Pepperdine rallied to take an 8-7 lead with two runs in the sixth when Worth doubled to drive home junior catcher Justin Tellam to tie the score. Senior first baseman Nick Kliebert gave the Waves the advantage with an infield single that scored Worth.
The Waves then watched their lead slip away as the Bulldogs scored single runs in the eighth and ninth innings to post the victory.
Kliebert paced Pepperdine’s offense, as he tied a career-high with three hits, scored a run and tallied two RBI.
Other major contributors for the Waves included Uribes, who had two hits and two RBI, and Tracy, who had a pair of hits, a run scored and an RBI.
“It was a combination of a few things that contributed to the loss,” Tracy said. “As far as pitching goes, we didn’t keep the ball down, and we also made some mistakes defensively.”
The Bulldogs’ momentum would carry into the rubber match game of the series, as Andy Underwood pitched a complete game to lead Fresno State (4-5) to an 8-3 series-clinching victory over the Waves, who suffered their first series loss of the year and were dropped from a No.-11 national ranking to No. 14.
The Bulldogs’ bats were unstoppable, as Fresno State scored a run in the first inning and added two runs in the third, fourth and fifth innings to build a 7-1 lead against the Waves and sophomore right-handed starter Adam Olbrychowski (1-1).
Making his third career start, Olbrychowski pitched a career-high seven innings, allowing seven runs (five earned) on seven hits while walking two and striking out three.
Pepperdine finally broke through against Underwood in the fifth when Brown, who doubled to open the inning, scored on an infield out.
Ortiz had three hits to extend his hitting safely in all six games this season, while Brown did the same with a pair of hits.
“It’s tough losing a series like that when you see an opportunity to sweep,” Tracy said. “It demoralizes you a bit, but you just have to keep in mind that it’s still really early in the season.”
Just three days after his rough outing against Fresno State, Enright scattered five hits over seven innings and Tracy hit a two-run home run to lead Pepperdine to a 3-2 victory over Long Beach State (4-3) in a non-conference game Tuesday at Eddy D. Field Stadium.
“Barry pitched a great game,” Tracy said. “He had a tough outing on Saturday, especially with the defensive errors, so for him to come back like that was awesome.”
Enright (1-1), who allowed two runs on five hits while walking three and striking out four in seven innings of work, limited the 49ers to two hits through six innings before surrendering two runs in the seventh.
Right-hander Brett Hunter, already a strong presence as a freshman for the Waves, pitched the final two innings to earn his first career save.
The scoring began in the second inning when Pepperdine broke through for a run against 49ers starter Scott Turmail as Beattie doubled with one out, advanced to third on a single by Worth and scored on a single by junior left fielder Luke Salas.
The Waves added two more runs in the fifth to take a 3-0 lead when Tracy belted a home run that also scored Uribes, who had reached base on a walk.
The 49ers scored their two runs in the seventh inning on a leadoff home run by Sean Boatwright and an RBI single by Tito Cruz.
“The last series made us realize it’s not going to get any easier,” Tracy said. “In a way it was sort of a wake-up call, and that showed against Long Beach.”
Already having faced Fresno State and Long Beach State, the Waves played an exhibition game against the University of British Columbia on Wednesday, during which some youngsters got a chance to play in the 4-1 losing effort.
The Waves used seven pitchers in the contest, and their lone run came in the fifth inning on a two-out single by freshman left fielder Tony Asaro.
Up next for the Waves is a three-game home series beginning Friday against No.-2 Oregon State at 2 p.m.
“They have some good pitching, but we’re hoping to at least grab two out of three, if not all three games,” Tracy said. “We know we’re a good team, and we’re going to come out with a lot of intensity.”
02-16-2006