Photo Courtesy of Pepperdine Baseball
Led by starting junior pitcher Aaron Brown, Pepperdine baseball defeated Texas Christian University 3-2 on Sunday to force Game 3 of the Super Regional on the road to Omaha.
“Yesterday was a tough loss but today was a new day and a new opportunity for us. I was not worried at all. We came out ready to compete against a great TCU team,” Brown wrote.
A pivotal moment in the matchup took place at the top of the eighth. With the Waves up 3-2, TCU’s Jerrick Suiter began a sprint toward home base. Brown then launched a throw from center field to freshman catcher Aaron Barnett to close the inning. After pitching seven innings, allowing no runs and finishing with 5 hits, Brown secured the game.
“When I saw Brownie throw it, I knew we wouldn’t need a cut-off because he has a cannon out there,” Barnett wrote.
“When the ball was coming in, I saw the runner only about halfway down the line so I just decided to do whatever I could to smother it and apply the tag. Like always, Brown made a great accurate throw and that’s all you can ask for as a catcher in that situation.”
With a postseason record of 5,620 fans filling Lupton Stadium, the Waves drove in three runs total.
With two outs at the bottom of the fifth, freshman Brandon Caruso got the ball rolling on offense. Caruso singled to left field bringing in sophomore Hutton Moyer.
The Waves will take on the Horned Frogs again Monday at 1 p.m. Pacific time on ESPN2 for Game 3 in the best-of-three Super Regional. The winner will snag a spot and advance to the College World Series.
“I think a good meal and a good night of rest will do us all well,” Brown wrote.
Monday’s starting pitcher sophomore Jackson McClelland added, “My mindset for tomorrow is to attack these guys and to give my team every opportunity possible to win.”
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Follow Marissa Yoshizawa on Twitter: @MarissaYosh
