Pepperdine Baseball continued its three-game series against Tulane University with a second consecutive 2-1 win over the Green Waves on March 1 at Eddy D. Field Stadium. The victory improves the Waves to a 3-8 record.
“Our team needs to become more consistent to get better,” Head Coach Tyler LaTorre said. “We need to understand the team sport since all I see are individuals hitting, and what I would like to see is our guys work together, and put pressure on the pitcher and the defense.”
Graduate right-handed pitcher Matthew Boyer started for the Waves and delivered a dominant performance, setting a season-high with seven innings pitched.
Boyer got into some trouble early in the first inning after allowing a one-out single, followed by a hit-and-run play that put runners on the corners with one out. Tulane attempted a squeeze bunt, but Boyer reacted quickly, fielding the ball and getting the out at home. After a seven-pitch battle, he forced a popout, escaping the inning unscathed.
Pepperdine immediately capitalized in the bottom half of the inning. Rubin and freshman outfielder Brodey Bitove both reached base after being hit by pitches, putting two runners on with no outs. Redshirt sophomore designated hitter Max Bernal then delivered an RBI single to open the scoring, giving the Waves a 1-0 lead.
Boyer settled in during the second and third innings, retiring the side cleanly in the third inning for his first 1-2-3 inning of the game. The Waves extended their lead in the bottom of the third, as Bernal came up in another key situation. After a leadoff walk by Rubin and a single by Bitove, Bernal drove in another run, pushing the lead to 2-0.
Tulane threatened in the fourth, putting runners on the corners with two outs before cutting the deficit to 2-1 with an RBI single. Boyer responded by striking out the next batter to limit the damage.
“I mean, in the past, I would give up some runs, and it would kind of ruin my day,” Boyer said. “But keeping the attitude of ‘OK, I can still go another few innings, and we can still win this, helped me stay composed.”
Boyer continued his strong outing, rolling through the next three innings while keeping Tulane off the board. He exited after the seventh inning with seven strikeouts, one run allowed, and just five hits surrendered, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
With Boyer’s night finished, Adam Troy, redshirt sophomore right-handed pitcher, came in to close out the final two innings. Troy struck out the first two batters in the eighth before forcing a flyout to right field, keeping the lead intact.
Tulane made a final push in the ninth, getting a runner on base after a hit-by-pitch, followed by a walk to put the go-ahead run at first. However, Troy shut the door, picking up a strikeout before inducing a lineout to left field to seal the 2-1 victory.
Boyer earned the win, while Troy picked up the save in his season-high two innings, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
“When you’re playing a good team, you have to take advantage of your opportunities,” LaTorre said. “We had limited chances today, but we made them count.”
With the win, the Waves will look to carry their momentum to Tucson, Arizona to face the Arizona Wildcats at Hi Corbett Field.
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Contact Frankie Fernandez via email: frankie.fernandez@pepperdine.edu