JANE LEE
Assistant Sports Editor
Just days after picking up a big win over No.-4 Cal State Fullerton, the No.-19 Pepperdine baseball team (19-11) picked up its first sweep of the season, grabbing three wins over Northwestern this weekend at Eddy D. Field Stadium. The Waves then followed up the series with a 2-1 win over USC on Wednesday at the Trojans’ Dedeaux Field.
The first win of the series against Northwestern showcased a dominant performance by the Waves, including a four-hit, eight-inning run by senior pitcher Paul Coleman, who improved to 4-1 on the year.
“It’s been unbelievable the way our pitchers have worked so hard this year,” said junior Chad Tracy, who has had the opportunity to work with the pitching staff as catcher for most games this season. “They’ve been consistent, and especially with a guy like Paul, we expect it out of them.
“Paul’s been there for us every Friday start, and he always goes out giving us a chance to win, and I know that’s a huge boost for the offense as well. As a catcher, it’s just great to go back there and know your pitcher’s going to execute the pitches he needs to make.”
Pepperdine’s offense provided more than enough support as the Waves trampled all over the Wildcats for eight runs on 10 hits and six walks. Pepperdine, sparked by multi-hit performances by sophomore Danny Worth and senior second baseman David Uribes, received hits from eight players.
Senior first baseman Nick Kliebert started the run attack with a two-run single in the first. The Wildcats would watch the Waves score in each of their last four at-bats to put the game out of reach.
Wildcat starter George Kontas (0-5) recorded the loss after allowing seven earned runs over 7.2 innings before being relieved by Mike Folan.
Another impressive pitching performance would help the Waves take game two and clinch the series the following day, as Pepperdine walked away with a 10-3 victory behind freshman Brett Hunter’s first start of his collegiate career.
Hunter (3-2), who has predominantly served as a closer this year, provided the Waves with a season-high seven solid innings, striking out nine while allowing two runs on nine hits.
“Brett’s been unbelievable,” Tracy said of the youngster. “To be thrown in the role he was in as a closer at such a young age just goes to show you how impressive he is.
“He definitely doesn’t look like a freshman on the mound. Being the closer is one of the toughest roles, and then the guy goes out there and throws seven innings after being used to only throwing one or two at the most.”
Pepperdine’s offense came out swinging in support of the right-handed hurler, as the Waves racked up 16 hits while scoring 10 runs off Wildcat starter Dan Brauer.
While sophomore center fielder Adrian Ortiz returned to the starting lineup after being sidelined with a wrist injury to go 3-for-5 on the day, designated hitter Tracy and freshman third baseman Chase D’Arnaud also collected three hits apiece.
The majority of the loaded offense came during a six-run sixth, in which the Waves sent 11 men to the plate. After junior catcher Justin Tellam led off the inning with a solo blast for his fourth home run of the year, six more Waves reached base safely before the Wildcats recorded the first out.
Sophomore right-hander Doug Konoske relieved Hunter in the eighth, allowing one run on two hits while pitching the final two innings for the Waves.
“The offense is definitely picking it up, and it’s something we’ve been trying to do over the past couple of weeks,” Tracy said. “The offense was always what needed to improve because it was good but inconsistent. If we keep this going we’re going to be really tough to beat.”
Northwestern got another taste of what Tracy was talking about, as Tellam would again hit a home run in the final game of the series, this time launching a two-run shot to silence a Wildcat comeback in the top of the ninth inning and extend the Waves’ win streak to six and grab a 4-2 victory.
Pepperdine starter James Johnson proved just as effective as his pitching teammates had been all weekend. The senior right-hander held Northwestern scoreless on two hits before the ninth inning when he allowed two singles followed by a game-tying double with two outs and a full count.
“James is one of the guys who we know that every time we go out there with him on the mound we have a chance to win,” Tracy said of his battery mate. “We could say that about all of our pitchers, and that’s a huge confidence builder for our team.”
Sophomore right-hander Jason Dominguez relieved Johnson and retired the only batter he faced to pick up the win and improve to 3-1.
Unlike his teammates the previous two days, Wildcat starter Julio Siberio tamed the Waves’ bats for most of the game, allowing two runs on three hits over six innings of work. Northwestern reliever Ryan Myers picked up the loss after surrendering the walk-off shot by Tellam in the ninth.
Tellam’s fifth home run of the year sparked a tired Waves offense that was led by Uribes, who went 2-for-3 with two runs scored and also tallied three stolen bases. Kliebert was responsible for both of Uribes’ runs, as he turned in a pair of clutch hits for Pepperdine.
The Waves’ winning streak extended to seven games on Wednesday as they began a four-game road trip when they came out victorious over USC in a match-up that featured a total of 13 pitchers, 8 of which came from the Trojan bullpen.
Sophomore starter Barry Enright lasted just three innings for Pepperdine, surrendering one run on five hits before handing the ball over to sophomore Brian Ozols, who held the Trojans scoreless on five hits through the middle of the fifth inning. Junior Mike Craig and sophomore Jason Dominguez took over from there to maintain the Waves’ lead.
Sophomore shortstop Danny Worth led the offense with three hits.
Pepperdine learned Monday that Tracy was named the West Coast Conference Player of the Week for the week of March 19.
The All-American catcher’s hitting tear continued last week against nationally ranked Fullerton and Northwestern. In the four games, Tracy batted .563 (9-for-16) with a double, two triples, a pair of home runs, six RBI and five runs scored.
For the season, Tracy is batting .359 and leads Pepperdine with 42 hits and five home runs. Living up to expectations, especially following a year in which he was named the conference’s Player of the Year, can be difficult he said.
“After my performance last year, there are a lot of expectations because people expect a lot more out of you,” he said. “That’s fine with me, though. My teammates expect me to perform, my fans expect me to perform, and I expect it myself.”
Tracy and the Waves will open WCC play this weekend when they travel to rival Loyola Marymount’s Page Stadium. The three-game series begins Friday at 2 p.m., followed by 1 p.m. starts on Saturday and Sunday.
According to Tracy, keeping the momentum going will be key for a continued wave of success.
“The consistency is starting to come around, and when you play consistent baseball and everyone gets on the same page and everyone’s clicking like we are now, that’s the biggest thing,” he said.
03-30-2006
