JANE LEE
Sports Editor
If you mention Barry Enright’s name to any one of the eight players on the field with him on Fridays, none is ever short of words to describe the standout pitcher.
“He’s amazing,” junior center fielder Adrian Ortiz said of his teammate. “We’ve been together since freshman year, and every time he starts you automatically know we’re almost guaranteed a win.”
As always, Enright did not disappoint Friday, pitching eight innings to guide the No.-9 Pepperdine baseball team over Saint Mary’s, 7-3, at Eddy D. Field Stadium in both teams’ West Coast Conference opener.
Enright (7-1) pitched eight innings, allowing three runs on nine hits while walking one and striking out seven to record his 30th career victory on his 21st birthday.
“Even when Barry doesn’t have his best start, he’s going to battle through,” Ortiz said.
The victory moved Enright into sole possession of third place on Pepperdine’s all-time career wins list and onto a tie for seventh place on the WCC’s all-time wins list.
Ortiz and junior shortstop Danny Worth guided the Waves offense from the top of the order as they went a combined 7-for-10 with three runs scored and two RBI, giving Enright more than enough support as Pepperdine.
Ortiz continued his offensive tear the following day, hitting a two-run tie-breaking home run in the seventh inning to lead the Waves to a 3-1 victory over the Gaels.
Sophomore All-American starter Brett Hunter turned in eight innings, allowing one run on four hits while walking two and striking out nine. The performance was a great bounce-back effort as he was coming off the shortest outing of his career when he lasted just 1.1 innings and allowed six runs against UC Santa Barbara on March 24.
Also highlighting the game was Worth, who extended his career-high hitting streak to 15 games with a double in the seventh inning. The double was the 54th of his career, moving him into a fourth-place tie on the Waves’ all-time doubles list.
“We’ve been playing really well,” Ortiz said. “The hitting has been great, and we seem to be picking each other up a lot.”
The final game of the series was dominated by the Waves’ powerful offense with senior left fielder Luke Salas leading the way with a 4-for-4 day at the plate to guide a season-high tying 18-hit attack as Pepperdine completed the three-game sweep of Saint Mary’s with a 11-6 victory.
Sophomore left hander Robert Dickmann allowed one run over seven innings as the Waves improved to a season-high 15 games over .500 at 23-8 and won their fourth straight victory.
Pepperdine had six players register multiple-hit games as every starter had at least one hit, including junior right fielder Don Brown, who collected three hits, and Worth, who extended his hitting streak to 16 games.
Conference play continues today as the Waves host Loyola Marymount in the opener of a three game series at Eddy D. Field Stadium beginning at 3 p.m. Friday’s game is also scheduled for 3 p.m. while Saturday has a 1 p.m. start.
“The key for us is going to be staying consistent,” Ortiz said. “It’s what baseball is all about. No matter if we win or lose, we just have to be consistent.”
Consistency is what earned Ortiz WCC Player of the Month honors, the conference announced Tuesday.
The leadoff hitter batted a conference-high .447 and tallied 34 hits during the month of March. Ortiz ranked fourth in the league with 16 runs scored and posted a .539 slugging percentage with six steals.
“This was the first time I’ve ever received the award,” Ortiz said with excitement. “It’s a great honor. It’s fun to be able to be recognized like that.”
04-05-2007